Catching the Past
by Ryla
Summary: Duo's past catches up with him but when he disappears all the boys get into it. Then a deadly toxin makes it's appearance...can they stop a man obsessed with war and the weapons of war and find a cure before it's too late? Rated PG13 just to be safe.
1. Catching the Past Chap 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing Gundam and am making nothing but a headache (figurative)and a bad day at work (literally) with this. Any resemblance to real people and places are strictly incidental. Any resemblance to any other fic or movie (with the obvious exception of the Gundam universe) is also strictly incidental as I've read too many stories for any part of this fic to be a rip off and at best it's a stew of ideas. This fic is done strictly for my own enjoyment to see if I could do one that was acceptable (preferably enjoyable for everyone else too) to other hardworking authors/readers/reviewers. That said I will add that while constructive criticism is nice, flames are considered childish and immature and will be given the respect, attention, and time they deserve...which is zilch, zero. And if I can sleep through two alarm clocks and still be late to work in the morning do you think a little measly flaming is gonna get my attention???:) So save your breath (figuratively) as I couldn't possibly care less what flamers think of it. In the mean time....on with the tortu.....errr...show!!!

  
  


**CATCHING THE PAST**

**CHAPTER 1**

'Whew' Quatre sighed as he left the boardroom. It hadn't been easy wringing the extra safety concessions for the Ringen Corp contract but he'd done it and come away with both parties feeling as if they'd gained! Not an easy feat with the Vice President being a crusty old-timer who clearly had doubts about Quatre's abilities and youth.

"Well done Master Quatre!!" spoke a voice enthusiastically to his side as his temporary secretary, advisor and friend Jase Hollander matched his pace.

"I don't think they knew what hit 'em!" Jase chuckled. Then he turned serious for a moment.

"Your Father would have been proud of you I think." He added with conviction.

"Thanks." Quatre said simply.

Later, he sighed as he sank into his comfortable desk chair; glad for a moments respite from work. Really, he _was_ pleased with the results of the meeting. A moment later the mood was interrupted with the chiming of the vidphone. Sighing, he stretched out an arm to the phone.

"Trowa!! It's good to hear from you, it's been a while!! How are you?" Quatre grinned in delight. As they talked, Quatre started sorting through the mess of papers and mail on his desk that had accumulated in his absence. That's when he discovered the small package on his desk with nothing but his name and address on it.

  
  


Hilde was perturbed. It had all started when that strange blond man had come around. He'd asked to see Duo and they had disappeared for a good hour and then some. Ever since Duo had been acting, well, shell shocked? No. Possessed? No, that wasn't it either. Hilde sighed and gave up trying to put a name to it. Wrong. That was it. Something was wrong. But when she'd asked him about it he'd denied it. And he never lied. So then what was it? 

So, two days later when Hilde came home from grocery shopping and found Duo's black duffel on the floor by the door she was sure she was right.

"Duo! _DUO_...!" Hilde started to yell then jumped when he poked his head out of the kitchen wincing at his proximity to her yell.

"Sheesh, Hilde try again, I can still hear from this ear..." Duo complained making a face and tapping the ear farthest from her.

"What's wrong?! What's going on? Are you gonn...mmpphh mmmpphh mmmppphh!" Hilde tried mumbling through the hand Duo had on her mouth.

"Whoa, _WHOA_ Hilde take a deep breath and let it out slowly..." Duo said grinning.

"Mmmmph MMMPPH!"

"Oh, right..." Duo sheepishly removed his hand.

"Duo..." Hilde started than stopped as Duo held up his hand.

"Don't get hysterical Hilde. Howard just called and told me he found that piece I was wanting and I'm taking a simple business trip to Earth to go get it. I'll be gone a week, tops!" Duo told her reassuringly.

Hilde was quiet for one short moment.

"Oh."she gave him an icy glare. "I was _NOT_ hysterical!!!"

"No, no, of course not. Not hysterical." He agreed hastily as Hilde proceeded to practically drop her bag of groceries on his feet. He just caught it.

"Oi! Oi! Watch the toes Hilde, the toes. I walk on 'em remember?!?" Duo went on rambling as he started to sort out the sack of groceries.

Hilde giggled to herself and relaxed. Maybe she had overreacted...but that didn't mean she was _hysterical_, nope! No way! 

"...so it'll be really good for business if I can just get it running and with this part that Howard found it'll be cinch! Good as new! Better than new actually when I get done with it! Well, I better get going, don't wanna be late." Duo straightened up, dusted his hands off, grabbed an apple he'd left out, gave Hilde a fast kiss and blew out the door grabbing his duffel smoothly and waving Hilde goodbye with the half eaten apple.

That was the last she saw of him for quite a while.

Three days after he left she tried to call him to tell him about a good deal she had set up that she wanted him to finish while he was on Earth. He had already been to see Howard but no one seemed to know where he was or how to get hold of him. By the next day, still being unable to get hold of him, she was convinced she had been right all along. Something wasn't right. That's when she called her good friend Relena.

  
  


Quatre turned the package over again, then again. Still nothing. He'd had it for a whole day now and knew no more about it now than he had when he'd originally found it. He frowned, picking up the keycard that had been in it. It looked like a key for a locker or something. It clearly had his name on it but where had it come from and what was it for? There was nothing to explain it, just the empty packaging that could have come from anywhere. Trowa had been mildly interested in it but had no more idea about what it was for and where it came from then Quatre. And he hadn't been able to get hold of Wufei, Heero or Duo. Wufei was out on a mission, no one knew when to expect him back. Heero, well, who knew where he went? As for Duo, no one had answered the phone, he'd try again later.

Heero stepped through Relena's office door to find her staring into space with her head propped on her chin. 

"Relena, you'll be late." was all he said, eyeing her sharply. She brought her gaze down to him.

"Hilde called." Relena said focusing on him more intensely than usual.

"..."

"She's worried about Duo. He's gone missing."

Heero looked at her.

"She wondered if I could help her find him. Shall I go on?" Relena asked sweetly.

"You'll be late." Heero repeated. Relena sighed. Sometimes she didn't understand him at _all_!!! But this was an important conference and she did have to get going. She had to prepare for the evening and review all the points she wanted to make tonight. She rose and started around the desk towards the door. At the door she paused, smiled a 100 watt smile, and looked directly at him.

"I told her you'd be right on it." her smile powered up another notch. Then she moved on resolutely pushing the problem to the background till she had time to properly focus on it. She didn't always understand Heero and his methods but she knew in her heart that he cared about each of his fellow pilots in his own way. Though it was often next to impossible to tell with him. She wasn't a bit surprised then when, after the conference, he wasted no time in getting the fine details from her. He'd been on his computer ever since. 

In a dimly lit room somewhere, in front of a computer, sat a figure. Wiping his hand across his sweating brow, all senses alert, he finished his cryptic message and proceeded to send it on it's way to being rerouted several times before reaching it's intended destination. That done, he pursed his lips, tilted his chair back on it's legs and put his arms behind his back while he thought. Reaching a decision, the chair thunked to the floor and he reached for the keyboard. He'd have to do it fast; his 'friend' was due back any moment and he couldn't afford to get caught.

****

__Quatre glared at the card. It sat there silently mocking him with it's non-informative glaze. It was a full day later and he had gotten precisely nowhere with it. He _had _finally managed to get a hold of Wufei. Wufei had been tired and looked as if he needed a full week of sleep. Quatre had apologized and suggested he call back later. Wufei had waved him on tiredly and when Quatre had given him the facts; had suggested he call Heero as he couldn't add anything to the information Quatre had outside of confirming that it was a locker key. But where was the locker? With a sigh Quatre had signed off. 

After trying Duo's home again and getting no answer (which was beginning to worry him) he decided to try to contact Heero again. Although Heero had started to slowly adapt to the peace that fell after the wars, he had a habit of taking off for unknown places for unknown periods of time. He always managed to show up again in the right place at the right time however; and he always seemed to end up back at Relena's home. He took his self appointed job as her bodyguard very seriously. It was beginning to be considered unofficially his by general consensus. Quatre reached for the phone. It chimed. Startled, he jerked his hand back and then hit the receiver with more force than necessary, irritated with himself for being so jumpy.

"Hello?" A hiss was all he heard and then a oddly distorted voice said something that made his adrenaline kick in.

"Tell Schbeiker beware blitzkriegs and needles." more static and then nothing. What was a blitzkrieg? And what did needles have to do with anything? 

  
  


Heero was slightly disgruntled. Strike that. He was plain out aggravated. He'd had reason before to acknowledge Duo's skill at being stealthy (subconsciously bringing to mind all the times Duo had appeared out of thin air during the war) but who'd have thought he'd be so hard to track down? _I mean really! With that braid of his, he'd be hard put to blend in right?_ _That's....if he even bothers to try._

__Heero had even gone so far as to talk to Hilde and Howard both in spite of the time differences. Howard had not been happy at being woke up in the middle of the night. But then Heero wasn't happy either. 

Apparently, to all intents and purposes, Duo had dropped off the face of the earth after his little visit with Howard. Howard had been unable to add anything either, only that Duo had seemed, if anything, more exuberant than usual. Heero shook that mental picture as fast as possible. :)

Hilde was insisting it had something to do with their blond visitor but going through the shuttle lists had led to a dead end. She had investigated it personally and had come up with a name, Douglas McArthur. The man didn't seem to exist. The _only_ reference he could find on him was an old North American General who was famous for saying "_I shall return"_ in a war that didn't seem to have anything to do with anything in particular. The vidphone chimed. It was Quatre.

"Heero?" Quatre peered worriedly out at him, his face drawn.

"This is about Duo isn't it?" Heero said flatly.

"Errr...yes and no. Heero, have you talked to either of them in the last week?" Quatre asked urgently.

"Yes, Hilde called. Duo's missing." Heero said succinctly.

"Hilde's in danger, you need to get Relena to invite Hilde over and the sooner the better. It needs to look casual." Quatre said urgently. Heero narrowed his eyes for a moment but nodded his head in acquiescence.

"Hold for a moment. I'll be right back" Heero got up and left. Coming back after several minutes he nodded again as he seated himself.

"Done. Only, Relena wants you to come too. She's extending an invitation to the both of you. She wants you to pick Hilde up tomorrow if possible. So tell me, what happened?" He demanded. Quatre filled him in.

"I could send the message to you if you like but I've done everything possible to it. It's simply untraceable. I'm not even totally sure it's him. I mean, 'Schbeiker'? Since when would Duo call her by her last name? I can't even get a voice match on it! Heero, just **_what_**__ is going **_on_**__ here?!? " Quatre asked in frustration and weariness crossed his features briefly.

"You know as much as I do. Hilde found a trace of a man that she thinks is involved but so far I haven't gotten anywhere with it. I'll keep working on it. As for the message, send it to Wufei. Maybe he can do something with the Preventers database. And Quatre....?" Heero paused.

"Yes?" Quatre looked at him. Heero thought his head would start drooping any moment now.

"Get some sleep. You won't do anyone any good if you can't function from lack of rest." Heero looked coolly at Quatre who found the energy to grin. Evidence that the Perfect Soldier was still there. Quatre's grin slowly faded.

"You're worried aren't you?" Quatre asked suddenly.

"He's a Gundam pilot; he can take care of himself. Now Hilde..." Heero said pointedly.

"Hai, _HAI! _I'll rearrange my schedule, pick up Hilde and head for Earth. Does she know I'm coming?" Heero nodded so Quatre signed off with a wave. Left to himself, Quatre grinned again. There were definitely some wide open cracks in the Perfect Soldier's armor. In spite of what he _said,_ he _was _concerned. Quatre could tell. With a sigh he went about forwarding the message on to Wufei then pushed himself up. That bed sure sounded good about now!

  
  


Elsewhere, a sun was setting and a long work day ground to a halt.. 

Sally walked in on Wufei to find him staring at the ceiling. 

"Got our new assignment for us Wufei. Lady Une thought you'd enjoy this mission, it's right down your alley. Wufei? Hello... Earth to Wufei...." Sally waved a hand in front of his eyes. 

"Tell Lady Une that I'm not taking any long distance missions starting today." Wufei told her without twitching so much as a muscle. 

_Sheesh! I wish I knew how he does that stone imitation!_ Sally chuckled to herself.

"Isn't this kind of sudden? I thought we were going to check out that bomb threat the Selvian president received and then there's this assignment Lady Une has, it's a sweetie and I had to do some fast talking to get it." Sally was watching him closely.

"Relena called. Duo's in trouble. She's arranged for Quatre to bring Hilde along on a 'social' visit to the Vice Foreign Minister Darlien's place." Wufei swivelled to look up at Sally.

"That serious, huh?" Sally propped herself on the corner of his desk. Wufei nodded.

"And Heero?" Sally probed.

"Looking for Duo. So far hasn't had any luck." Wufei mused to himself..._ knew he was good but to evade Heero so completely.....that is...if it's voluntary._

__"So he's missing, huh?" Sally thought out loud. _Hilde must be taking this hard. The war is over. We're supposed to have peace now, that's why Wufei and I work so hard; so people can live in peace._

"That's correct. No one has heard from him for several days, Quatre being the last we think." Wufei turned his computer off and picking up his jacket shrugged into it, turning to leave.

"We think?" Sally asked turning to follow him.

"It kinda sounded like Duo to Quatre but it's hard to tell from one short sentence." Wufei shrugged as he headed out the door. Sally followed him out the office door and down the hall.

"Did I mention it was impossible to trace? It had been rerouted so many times Quatre couldn't get an ID of any sort on it He sent it to me to see what I could get from it. I'm not doing any better than he did." he threw this over his shoulder then run his hand through his hair tiredly. It was time to go home and get some rest. _Huh, somehow I'm not surprised it's Duo. He enjoyed himself too much, it must be karma. Some Cosmic balance trying to right itself or something. _

_He'll be alright though, he's a Gundam pilot. It's probably nothing..... so why am I sticking close to home then? I don't think I'll answer that one right now. I **really** need the sleep right about now._


	2. Duo's Story Part A

**DUO'S STORY PART A**

**CHAPTER 2**

  
  


If he'd known then what he knew now, he'd of done something different. What... he didn't know but he'd of done _something_ different. It all started when Deuce Kipling had come to visit. Duo had been happily working on a salvaged shuttle, checking it out for worn parts, damages and giving it a general once over. He had plans for this shuttle. That's when the blond man came sauntering in looking around for all the world as if he owned the place.

Duo gave one last heave on a stubborn bolt and it came undone suddenly. Duo, half distracted by the sight of the blond man, lost his grip on the wrench and watched in horror as it went flying to ricochet off an open panel exposing wires galore, clanging off a strut on the way down and head directly for the stranger.

"HEY! WATCH OUT BELOW!!" he yelled frantically. The blond man looked around at the clang of metal on metal and watched as the wrench headed directly towards him calmly lifting his foot and watching the wrench bounce off the floor to skid along passing neatly under it with a fine spray of chips. He bent down to pick it up.

Duo nearly went limp in relief. Just what he didn't need. Another hurt customer. Although it wasn't HIS fault that he'd forgotten to warn that smart alec about climbing around that old clunker in the middle of that one junk pile. You just don't think of things like that when you're getting sprayed in the face with an innocent can of soda. And how was he supposed to know that the clunker had been placed on a heap that had become unstable? The man had only been buried for an hour! Sure the man had been a screeching claustrophobic after they got them out but it wasn't his fault! Why, Duo had spent much longer than that in his Deathyscythe at the bottom of the ocean. And the worst the customer had gotten was a sprained ankle and a few cuts and bruises anyhow. 

  
  


Shaking his head to reinstate himself in the present, Duo peered curiously down at the man. Something seemed familiar about him but what? Then the blond man had called up.

"If you really don't like your job there are better ways to get out of it than throwing wrenches at unsuspecting customers..." he called up a thin grin curling the corners of his mouth. Duo grinned the famous Maxwell grin and shinnied down.

"I wasn't serious!" he protested with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "The ones I don't like get squashed and buried, not hammered."

"I'll be sure to stay out from under the shuttle then." the man said dryly. "I prefer my dimensions the way they are now, thank you very much!" 

Duo laughed. He thought he could get to like this guy.

"So what can I do for you?" he asked pulling out a rag to wipe hands clean....that is...clean_er_.

"I'm looking for a Duo Maxwell." the man said looking at him intently.

"That might be me depending on what you want him for! And you are?" Duo looked back curiously.

"Deuce Kipling. I've been told you knew my twin brother. He was going by the name of Solo." the man said quietly.

Duo went pale. There was a ringing in his ears and he could feel the blood pounding in his head suddenly.

"S-solo....d-didn't...he never said..." Duo trailed off staring at the young man. There was no mistake. Deuce looked exactly like Solo would have had he lived.

"If you don't mind....I'd like to know more about...you and him." Deuce said softly.

They had talked for a couple of hours. Duo had found it very strange. The brother of his best friend... he truly hadn't known of it. Solo hadn't been one to talk much about the past. The main concern of the day was survival. Although there had been that one time....Duo hadn't thought much of it. Solo had just made some mention that having a brother wouldn't be so bad and had gotten a strange, sad look on his face. 

After Deuce had left, Duo hadn't been able to lose this strange feeling of his past catching up with him. Hilde had noticed of course but it wasn't anything Duo could pin down or explain and so in the end he had told her it was nothing. It had been the truth at the time.

Having gotten the message from Howard, Duo had grabbed some clothes and made arrangements at the salvage yard to cover for him while he was gone. It wasn't till the shuttle that his sense of unease caught up with him in the flesh. Not long into the trip, someone had settled in beside him. Opening his eyes, Duo saw that it was Deuce. Deuce grinned at him.

"What a coincidence! I wrap up my business on L2, decide to head for home and here you are!" Deuce's grin turned lopsided. Duo smirked back.

"It's my magnetic personality...only works on days ending in Y. So why are you _really_ here?" Duo chuckled.

"Really, it's revenge for that wrench. Now that I have you trapped inside this shuttle I'm going to beat you to death with a this package of ramen." Deuce said with mock menace holding up the package of food typically handed out to customers on long shuttle flights. They chuckled companionably, then settled in for the flight eventually digging a pack of cards from somewhere and playing several games of this and that. Eventually, finding that they both could handle a deck of cards pretty good they found themselves going all out trying to out do the other with any and all tricks at their disposal.

Finally, when they had only an hour left till they arrived at their destination, Deuce looked over at his seat mate who had finally fallen asleep. _Good gosh the man could talk!_ Deuce grinned to himself.

Taking another good, long, intent look at his sleeping companion, he slid his hand into his inside coat pocket feeling around a bit till he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a small case that securely held a pack of six small vials, he leaned over his companion as if adjusting Duo's collar while sliding the specially made case under his rather wide jacket collar at the back of the neck. Once positioned where Deuce wanted it, he pressed and the case sealed itself to the material of the jacket. Satisfied, Deuce sank back in his seat and observed Duo for a long minute. Nope, sound asleep. Deuce grinned rather regretfully at this friend of his brother's, sighed and decided a nap was a good idea. They didn't rouse till the shuttle came in for the landing. 

Duo noticed that while Deuce had seemed relaxed at the beginning of the trip, he wasn't any such thing now. Wary and tense, he seemed as if he were expecting trouble. Glancing at Duo, Deuce recognized that Duo had noticed and shrugged sheepishly. Stepping down off the shuttle, Duo fell in beside Deuce who looked at him oddly but didn't protest. They had made it almost to the exit of the shuttle port when Deuce found what he was looking for. Two men were making their way with a casual but determined sense of purpose in their general direction. Too bad there weren't more people on the flight, there wasn't much chance of hiding in the crowd.

"Err, Duo old buddy, you see those fellows over there just radiating zeal and purpose?" Deuce asked coolly.

"Yup." Duo nodded having already taken in the scene.

"Well, I'm allergic to zeal and purpose, especially purpose. This vicinity isn't healthy right now so we prob'ly ought to part company." A soft chuckle was his only answer. Duo clapped him on the back and with an intense gleam in his eye, moved so he was leading in front of Deuce by just a bit and between him and the two thugs.

"Just follow my lead." Duo said softly, something in his face and body spelling out unholy glee and havoc to follow. Deuce held up for a moment and then shrugged and decided to see what Duo was up to out of sheer curiosity.

"Do you know either of them and would they know you?" Duo hissed, Deuce shrugged.

As they got fairly close, Duo struck up a debate with Deuce, making it as natural as possible. Deuce played along but Duo could tell he was ready to fight or flee whichever was needed. 

The two casually dressed strong-arms for hire were scanning the crowd. The two young men were just about to pass the two thugs when the farthest one got a look at Deuce. Doing a neat side step, he blocked their path. Looking full on at Deuce, he addressed him leaving Duo to his partner who was looking in disdain at Duo's slender physique and long braid.

"Hold it you!" thug #1 growled in as gravelly a voice Duo had ever heard.

They stopped, Deuce taut as a coiled spring about to snap. Duo frowned in belligerent annoyance at their interrupted debate.

"What do _you_ want?" Duo asked sharply not missing how each of them had one hand in their jacket pocket.

"We're looking for a Douglas McArthur." thug #2 replied flatly, doing his best to out sneer Duo and look menacing. The effect was lost due to his missing front teeth and his voice squeaking till it cracked. That was aside from the half hearted mohawk that kept falling down into his face. Duo made a valiant effort not to crack up. Deuce's face was carefully blank.

"Sorry, I don't know any such person." Duo replied flatly gaining control of himself and getting back into the spirit of things. He moved as if to step past them.

"I don't buy that. This guy right here is him." thug #1 growled. Duo paused.

"Am not. Like he said , I don't know any such person." Deuce said with a veneer of calm.

"Good try but we don't buy it!" thug #2 keeping up his sneer.

"Well, we're not selling. I said there's no such person here. What is it you _really_ want?" Duo asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's not really any of your business! Just walk out of here and you haven't seen anything and no one will get hurt." thug #2 sneered a little more.

"But you _must _be mistaken, I've been with Deuce here for ages. What business could he _possibly_ have with the likes of _you?_" Duo growled waving his hands in the air emphatically, gaining both their attention. They paused, unsure of themselves for a moment.

"We're not mistaken. He's got something of ours; we're here to get it back!" thug #1 barked getting irritated.

Duo paused. Then he wheeled on Deuce, eyes blazing in mock irritation.

"Ok, Deuce, give the money back Didn't I **_tell_**__ you playing with a marked deck was no good? Didn't I **_tell_**__ you that you'd get caught?? It's got no **_finesse!!!"_**

"No! That's not what he......" thug #1's voice was lost in the escalating voices.

"_What_?! **_You've_**got everything I had, though how you managed _that_ one_ **I'll **_never be able to tell.... **_don't_**__ look at **_me_**_!!_" Deuce sputtered back. He wheeled on the two thugs. 

"You want it back, ask **_HIM!!_**_" _Deuce flung an arm out towards Duo. 

Then he continued to rant at Duo, "Finesse or no, it's still smoother than you and your 14 fingers on a deck of cards!!"

"**_That's not...._**__" once again thug #1's voice lost the contest.

"**_14 FINGERS?! If I'm so bad how'd I end up with all the money?? And look WHO'S TALKING!! WHY DON'T YOU GET YOURSELF A HAT THAT SAYS 'I HAVE A MARKED DECK' IN BLAZE ORANGE?!!! THAT WOULD BE LESS CONSPICUOUS!!" _**__Duo hollered back giving Deuce a shove.

"**_IS ANYONE LISTENING TO ME??!" _**__it was thug #1 again.

**_"NO!!!" _**__Deuce and Duo shouted simultaneously. Thug #2 was snickering to himself

"**_LAY OFF! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN YOURSELF DEAL OFF THE BOTTOM? MY CHIMPANZEE CAN DO IT SLICKER THAN YOU!" _**__Deuce shoved him back. Duo blinked what the heck was a chimpanzee?? Another good question, Duo thought would be... **_where _**__was the shuttle port security?

"**_SO NOW I'M A CHIMPANZEE AM I? WELL, YOU'RE BLOND HAIR IS SHOWING UP!" _**__push

**_"JACKASS!" _**__slap

"**_BASTARD!_**__" slap 

Their eyes met briefly and Duo gave a fractional nod.

"**_S- O- B----!_**__" as one, Duo and Deuce turned, Duo's leg lifting in a textbook perfect snap kick at thug #2 while Deuce's fist hammered thug #1. Thug #2 flew back just in time for thug #1 to trip and fall on top of him and Deuce took off running at full speed through the door and out into the parking lot with Duo right behind him. Weaving their way through all the parked vehicles, Deuce was grinning from ear to ear while Duo could hardly run he was laughing so hard.

"_BE-gasp-U-choke-TIFUL!!!" _Duo wheezed. An angry shout was raised behind them and shots rang out but they weren't worried; the shots were way off. Then they were out of the lot, free and clear.

"Me 'n Solo never done it so good!!!" Duo was still laughing his head off and falling behind as a result.

"Duo!" Deuce shouted running backward for a bit.

"Yeah?" Duo managed to shout back.

"Meet me at Juke's Bar & Grill!! Around 9!"

"Yeah, sure! Whatever!" Duo waved him off, coming to a stop where he laughed himself out. After he'd recovered, he set off for the nearby rental agency to pick up his reserved bike; still keeping a keen eye out for those two but confident in his ability to stay free and clear. The thought returned to him that he hadn't at any time, seen any shuttle security.

_I'll meet him all right, Deuce's got some explaining to do. The security had to have been payed off, that just wasn't natural. And so that means he's mixed it up with someone who has the power to mess with the authorities. I wonder if he knows what he got himself into? Still, he's the brother of my friend. I feel like I owe it to Solo to keep his brother alive...maybe...that will make up for failing **him**._

_First though, I gotta get Howard taken care of! What a day!!! Lessee, if I head over directly and catch Howard I can spend a few hours there before hunting that Bar & Grill down._

__An hour later he was hopping onto the huge ocean bound Sweeper base. Pausing to survey the familiar structure, he let a fond smile curve his lips. This was almost a second home in some respects. Crew welcomed him aboard with shouts and waves. He waved back calling out names, than bellowed for Howard. One of the men waved him towards the front.

Moving along, he soon found Howard up front studying some maps. Howard looked up and smiled upon catching sight of Duo. Duo smirked back.

"So old man, have you figured out which end goes up yet?" Duo asked trademark grin showing. Howard chuckled and shook his head.

"Haven't changed much have you Duo?" Howard folded up his maps and tucked them in their packet.

"Why would I want to?" Duo wisecracked. His stomach rumbled and Duo looked startled at the reminder that he hadn't had much to eat since the evening before. He didn't count in-flight meals! 

Howard grinned and then asked with a straight face,"Well, what'll it be Duo? Food or that SBE **(Shuttle Boost Evaluator)** you been after me about?" 

"Both!" Duo exclaimed. Then added reluctantly, "Maybe the food better come first before I fade away to nothing."

"As if!" Howard snorted and started towards the galley. 

Hours later, after spending the afternoon visiting and helping to sort through some new acquisitions of Howard's, he figured it was about time to go. _Lessee, if I hunt up this Bar & Grill and then catch the late shuttle.....hmmm... I better freshen up while I can._ _I'll just take a quick shower._

__That's when Duo found the case of vials. Peeling his black jacket off, Duo scrunched the top together in his hand ready to fling it on the bunk when he paused. Thoughtfully, he fingered the jacket, then peeled the collar back to get a better look at what he'd discovered. Having investigated it as thoroughly as possible without having any tools on hand, he sat down to have a heavy think session.

Eventually, plans were decided on and he hastily finished his shower. Finishing his braid, he took out the protective casing for the SBE. Popping the lid, he nodded. Carefully prying at the cushioning for the SBE, he made room for the case and just managed to fit it in. Snapping the lid shut he gave it a pat. This wasn't a half bad idea. Now for Step 2. He had a stop to make. 

He'd spotted a rent-and-store facility on his way over and after the events of the day, he would feel a lot better if his precious SBE and the vials (obviously they were what those two thugs had _really_ been after) were safe. That meant somewhere off of his person. Besides, that would give him some leverage, something to bargain with.

When he got to Whooser's Storage Plaza, a fancy name for a bunch of buildings that looked on their last legs, (although it _did_ look better inside than outside) he rented a locker from the fat man that ran the place using Quatre's name and address. Never once did he say he_ was_ Quatre; he may run and hide but he doesn't lie. Father Maxwell had managed that much at least. On the other hand, you can do a lot with truth. And people thought he blathered on for no reason.

It actually takes some skill to say a lot without saying anything at all and he could think of several ways to say any one thing on any given moment. And people often underestimated him as a result. He chuckled to himself...he should have been a blond!

He didn't have very many options anyway; Wufei, being a Preventer, was a bad choice and wouldn't put up with it. He didn't have access to any of Trowa's possible accounts as Trowa traveled all the time. Heero...well, even though he considered Heero one of his best friends and sometimes he thought Heero thought the same, it was hard to tell and he didn't feel like pushing it. Besides, it would take too long to get in and Heero would be quick to spot it too. He was trying to keep what he was doing low key. 

Pocketing his keycard Duo walked out and flung his leg over his bike. Kicking it into life he took off. There was just one more thing he wanted to do in case things took an unexpected turn. He grinned; wasn't Quatre in for a surprise!! It would give Quatre something to puzzle over when he got bored or needed a diversion.

After a few trial and error runs he finally found Juke's Bar & Grill. He was late but figured that Deuce wouldn't get on his case too much considering what Deuce had gotten him involved in. Slipping in the door, he slid to one side to get the wall to his back as he scanned the room. Not seeing Deuce right away, he made his way to the bar and absently ordered a drink.

Turning part way around to scan the dim and slightly smoky room a second time, drink in hand, he took a small swallow. He choked as the drink made it's fiery path down his throat..._WHAT WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE AGAIN?_ Someone slapped his back and a familiar voice laughed in his ear.

"You gotta be careful what you order here, they make their own! Very cheap and has quite a kick...if you survive." Deuce's voice was deep and amused. 

"I didn't survive the war only to die of someone's idea of recycling! Here, it's all yours!"

Duo said in a strangled voice and shoved it into Deuce's hand. Deuce just laughed and shoved it on down the bar into the hands of a man already too drunk to know the difference.

The man looked at the drink that appeared in front of him blearily wondering where it came from. After a moment of deep and thoughtful (for him) consideration, he came to the conclusion that it was lonely and that the best cure for that was to drink it which he did, spilling part of the drink on the counter top where it sizzled. Duo shuddered at the theoretically harmless chemical reaction to the counter top but he _really_ didn't want to find out if he was right or not. 

The man finished the drink, smiled in satisfaction at nothing. Slowly with an odd sort of grace, he tilted over onto his neighbor who after a long attempt at sober thought; gave up, propped the unconscious man against one of the barstools, and proceeded to see how many glasses he could stack on his newfound drinking buddy's head. 

Deuce laughed deep and low, waving the bartender over.

"Hey, Mack, how about one of your good ones for my friend here?" Deuce called out.

"Hunh!" 

"Thanks Mack, scintillating as always Mack! Any brighter and someone'll mistake you for a light bulb." Deuce said mockingly. Mack just glared scathingly and shoved a glass down towards them.

"Hmmm..." Duo hummed thoughtfully. "On a scale of one to ten I give him a 6.5."

"What?!" Deuce asked startled as he led the way to a small enclosed booth. No wonder Duo hadn't seen him.

"6.5." Duo repeated. "Compared to a friend of mine...well, he needs some more practice." 

"Strange friends you got." Deuce commented adding, "Mack is harmless mostly. He just has a belly of bad humor and I give him something to focus on." 

"Speaking of friends..." Duo casually scanned the room. Then he fixed his gaze on Deuce.

"Why don't you tell me a bit about the six I found this afternoon?" Dead silence. Duo looked at Deuce calmly while Deuce looked back with a calculating gaze.

"Well, it's like this. Those little friends of mine are my keys to revenge. Do you have them with you?" Deuce asked after a moment.

"Depends on your answers." Duo answered calmly. Deuce looked at him narrowly.

"What did you do with them?" he asked in a quiet tone of voice that held undertones of quiet menace.

"2.3." Duo leaned back and put his arm over the back of his seat. Deuce blinked looking confused.

"What?" He said sharply leaning forward.

"You need to practice more..." Duo said dryly. Deuce slapped both hands down and leaned forward with a snarl starting on his face.

"Don't _mess_ with me..." he started but Duo interrupted sublimely unimpressed.

"If you're trying to get tough on me, forget it." One finger was raised in the air. 

" I get threatened by a pro every day of the week so if you don't mind I'll just skip the shaking in my boots part, for the sake of energy conservation mind." Two fingers were raised.

" I hold _ALL_ the cards. I have _it_, you have nothing. When you're ready to deal let me know. Until then I go back to counting bullets." Duo purred. Deuce looked wrathful for a long moment then the start of a grin began to tweak his mouth. He shook his head.

"You're a case you know that?" He began to chuckle. Duo grinned cheerfully.

"So I've been told. Ready to talk?" he leaned forward a bit taking a drink.

"Does the name Pratcher mean anything to you?" Deuce asked.

"No."

"Year AC 190. The year the drug PC11 was outlawed on L2..." Duo sucked in his breath.

That he remembered very well. The drug that was supposed to be a cure. Pratcher's Cure. It cured all right, it cured you of living. The man had been researching bioweapons and had come up with a doozy; a toxin that was a sure kill called simply Slow Death or PSD23. Like any good biochemist, he tried to develop an antidote. A chemical combination that had one slight drawback. It was instantly addictive. It only took two exposures or on the rare occasion one, to make your body dependent on it for function, then it literally rotted the brain. Oh, yes, Duo knew about that one. He'd watched helpless while a friend of his died of it on L2 before it was considered too dangerous even by the dope dealers. At least his friend had died happy. Practically brain dead but happy. 

Duo sat up sharply. Deuce nodded. Duo narrowed his eyes at Deuce.

"It's going down the disposal then just as soon as I can manage it." Duo stated flatly. Deuce leaned forward shaking his head.

"What you got is just the PSD23. _I've_ got the PC11 tucked away elsewhere." Deuce stared evenly at Duo. Just then a group of five people shambled past headed for a booth farther back, in noisy celebration. Deuce was staring at Duo with determination in his face while Duo's face was rock hard in anger. Then the noisy groups was past and the familiar sound of a cocking gun was heard. Their heads snapped around to meet those of Tweedledee and Tweedledum from the shuttle port. They froze.

"Jez here has something to say to you." the one with the failing mohawk spat at Duo. Clearly, he was determined not to underestimate Duo a second time. The other man nodded. 

They were dressed in casual clothes that looked like they'd been slept in. They probably had. From the worn faces Duo guessed maybe their boss hadn't taken too kindly to failure. The arresting thing about them was the jacket Jez had on his arm mostly concealing his weapon and the hand that Mohawk Man had under his jacket.

"My boss wants ta talk. I wanna shoot. What'll it be boys?" Jez asked a hungry look in his eyes.

"Personally I find talking much more entertaining." Duo said carefully taking stock of their situation. Jez and No Name were actually fairly competent with their guns from the way they handled them, it was their lack of discernment/judgement that made them second rate.

Duo was thinking fast, _Hmmmm...the table is fastened solidly to the floor, no help there. Still have some drink left...maybe if I ...._

_**thunk**_

__Duo clutched at his hand in sudden pain as a knife blurred, pinning it to the table. Deuce had started to move but didn't get very far. Jez had his gun settled on him and was looking happy.

Deuce settled back very carefully. Jez looked disappointed. After a long moment in which Duo's face slowly took on a pale, pinched look; Jez nodded at his companion.

"Guess they gonna behave now, Chance, better get your knife an' lets go." 

Chance glared at Duo and leaned over without taking his gaze off him and yanked the knife free. 

"Ahhhhh!! Hey, couldn't you be a little more gent......urk!" Duo shut up upon finding the bloody blade at his throat. He went cross eyed trying to look at it, then looked up nearly gagging on Chance's bad breath.

"We want just _one _thing from you wuss and that's silence!" Chance squeaked into his face trying to look intimidating. Irreverently, the only thing Duo could think of at that moment was _intimidation factor: negative 2, the mohawk has got to go. _Then the pain in his hand brought him back to the reality of their situation as he held it trying to stop the bleeding. Deep down he started to get mad but seeing as how he was at a disadvantage he didn't let it go to his head. He'd get his chance And when he did, Chance would be one of the first to go. His grin slowly spread over his face. Deuce looked at him uneasily, the grin wasn't natural.

_I think Chance over there just made a bad move...._Deuce thought with a touch of admiration. _I wish I'd had more time to get to know this guy. Kinda wish he hadn't gotten involved...but I can't let this stand in my way. Peter Sangre is going to pay._

__"Ok, guys, here's what we's gonna do. We are gonna back up and let you guys up but you better keep them hands in sight at all times. Then you Braid Boy, are gonna act like Chance is helpin' you outside and me 'n Kipling here is gonna follow. Last time was a fluke. You try anything and you're gonna end up with a hole in you and we get off scot free, get that? Good. Move it." Jez snapped looking bellicose. 

Cautiously, the boys slid out and moved where they were indicated. Duo started for the entrance still cradling his hand. Chance pulled a dirty kerchief out and handed it to him. As Duo reached for it he could see the tip of a shoulder harness under Chance's equally dirty jacket. So he used both. As they made their way to the exit, Deuce happened to glance over at Mack. 

Mack leered at them and spun a coin along his hand then vanishing into a pocket.

Deuce felt fury start to boil, that answered the question of how they'd been found. Duo glanced at him knowingly but didn't say a word. Deuce didn't say a word either but his fury was beginning to spill over well seasoned with frustration. This had _not_ been what he had in mind when he'd stolen the toxin....and everything was going wrong. In fact, the more he thought on it, wronger everything got and the more his fury raged. 

He'd been on the run instead of getting his revenge and he had his fill of it. And now Duo had half of it and they were prisoners....no telling what Duo would do to get out of this. What if he used it to bargain his way to freedom?

Duo sensed Deuce's agitation rise and had a feeling that things were going to start happening and he was right.

They had made it outside and to the car. Jez had taken the lead and opened the back door motioning for Deuce to get in. He did, sliding slowly part way down the seat. Then, as Jez was jostled from behind by Chance, Deuce took his chance at Jez's distraction and kicked up knocking the gun out of alignment. The shot ricocheted off the interior on it's way out but the report of the gun itself just wheezed. They were using silencers. 

Duo, seeing Deuce lash out with a punch that had Jez's head bouncing off the ceiling of the car and seeing double; spun away from Chance and his knife or gun whatever he was using this time,and gave him an elbow to the kidney. This jarred Duo's hand and he let out a yell of pain.

Chance bellowed and started to crumple but caught himself on the car just in time for Jez to explode out of the car as a result of Deuce ramming into him with all his not inconsiderable weight. Deuce rolled out of the car and was on his feet in a split second. 

Deuce took off running yelling at Duo to get a move on. A bloodcurdling yell of sheer outrage followed by shots sped him on his way. That's why he didn't see Duo, who had seen Jez come up off of Chance gun in hand, taking careful aim at Deuce; lunge in between Deuce and Jez being too far away to do anything else. He didn't see Duo spin from the force of the shot and fall. And he didn't see Jez and Chance load the body in the car and take off.

  
  



	3. Quatre Comes Through

**QUATRE COMES THROUGH**

**CHAPTER 3**

  
  


When Quatre woke up it was bright and cheerful out. A nice day. Too nice evidently, for the way it ended up. At any rate, that morning Quatre quickly finished up his business and was ready to go.

Dressed in casual slacks and his usual vest, he picked up his one bag and briefcase and let Jase Hollander lead the way. Once on L2, Quatre took the lead as Jase had never been there before. They were getting close to H & D Salvage when they became aware of a growing commotion, smoke and the distant sound of sirens. With an ill feeling clutching his heart that had nothing to do with his space heart, Quatre broke into sprint that became a flat out run as he got closer; Jase managing to keep pace with him.

Breaking through the crowd, Quatre looked in vast dismay at the mess that had been Duo and Hilde's home. It had been badly burnt and much of what hadn't burned was now slag. There was pieces scattered that were whole yet but it would be one colossal mess to sort through. Then Quatre caught his breath. _Where was Hilde? Duo is trusting me to protect Hilde!!! Where **is she**_???

Spinning aside to the nearest official which happened to be a fireman talking to a policeman, Quatre interrupted urgently.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude but where is the owner, Hilde Schbeiker?! I was supposed to meet her here!!!" Quatre looked around, the dismay on his face growing.

"Sorry, young man. We got a call from a neighbor that they'd heard gunshots and the place was on fire. By the time we got here, the place was half burnt down already. We didn't find any bodies." the fireman told him. The policeman with him looked at Quatre narrowly.

"You wouldn't happen to know of, say, anyone that had a grudge against the owners would you?" he asked Quatre abruptly, suspicion on his narrow face. 

Quatre looked at him blankly, thoughts racing _...no body...**now what do I do?!**_

"No, why....?" Quatre started, giving the man his best dumb blond look. 

"The place burnt down far too fast for it to be an accident." the fireman told him with a skeptical look at the cop. The policeman looked sour and a bit slow on the uptake in Quatre's estimation. 

"You mean...but they were well liked...._impossible!!_" Quatre started to get upset. "Where were the police when this happened?! And _you!!_" he turned on the fireman who looked startled. "_How could you let this happen?!" _ He turned back to the cop.

"_How come this wasn't caught sooner??!!" _the policeman opened his mouth but Quatre didn't give him a chance to start. The fireman had a clear expression of _It's not **my** fault!_ on his face.

"_This place burnt to the ground and what were you doing??? Practicing the **Chinese fire drill**?! I'm going to have a word with the Chief!!!** Heads are going to roll!**_" Quatre's voice got louder and he started waving his arms around. Jase smoothly interrupted Quatre's rant, catching one arm.

"Quatre sama, please calm down, you know what the doc said about keeping calm! Did you forget your medicine again? Dear me, my apologies gentlemen, you know how it goes..." Jase said vaguely as he started steering Quatre away from the two who looked relieved. The quality of Quatre's clothes had not been missed by the fireman but the policeman was just now beginning to realize that he had gotten in over his head.

"**_Medicine, SHMEDICINE!!!_**__" Quatre hollered as he was being led away. "**_Someone is going to answer for this, this's what the police are for..."_**__ His voice faded away as the distance increased.

Safely away, they started walking briskly for their transportation. Jase's mouth was twitching as he walked and Quatre kept throwing him looks while he kept an eye on the crowd. What he was looking for he wasn't sure but he did anyway. Finally looking full on at Jase, he had mercy on the man.

"You'd better just cut loose and let it out before you choke! You **_don't _**__want me to try out my emergency training on you!" he told his friend. Jase cracked up.

"Did you _see _his _face_?!" Jase asked in between gales of laughter.

"You mean the policeman? Yeah, he looked like his pet goldfish just bit him!" Quatre chuckled. Then he sobered, his face turning grim.

"But what I want to know is..._were is Hilde?!_"

"You think she's alive then?"

"Yes I do. She's one tough girl. The fireman said they didn't find a body."

"Then we'll find her Quatre sama." Jase said simply.

"Safe and sound I hope or I'll never be able to look at Duo straight on again!" Quatre said sighing.

Having reached the car, Jase reached out to open the door. Someone in a long coat and hat who had been approaching leisurely paused and in a low mumble asked if they had the time. Quatre went subtly stiff. Jase had turned slightly and had opened his mouth when Quatre beat him to it.

"How about a couple of weeks?" he asked not missing a beat. Jase's mouth snapped shut. Cautiously scanning the crowd but seeing nothing, Quatre smoothly handed Hilde in first, for that's who it was, then slid in and told Jase to step on it as soon as they were all on board.

As soon as they were on their way Hilde opened the coat and poked her hat up with one finger. The car had darkened windows so there was no fear of being seen. Quatre looked at Hilde, pure delight on his face. Then concern overcame the delight on his face. She looked exhausted and scuffed.

"I'm sorry I don't have any food or drink to offer you, you look as if you could use it." Quatre said simply. Hilde nodded but a tired smile lit her face.

"That's ok Quatre, right now I'm just glad to be alive." she made a face while combing through her hair with her fingers. Quatre caught sight of a set of distinctive bruises on her wrist. His face darkened.

"What _happened _Hilde? What's going _on_ anyway?!" he started, anger replacing the fear that had clung to him during Hilde's disappearance. Hilde looked haunted for a moment.

"I wish I knew Quatre. As for these...." she touched her wrist, having seen Quatre's look.

"I was awakened early this morning by intruders in the house. Duo had just put up some security around the house but these guys waltzed right through it. But they didn't know Duo had a silent alarm rigged in each of our rooms. We'd had some trouble with a stray dog setting off the alarm so I went to investigate. With all that's been going on I did take my gun with me. I caught the one and was going to get the police when the second guy came up behind me; I hadn't seen any sign of a second guy but there he was.

They forced me into the Duo's room and cuffed me to the bed. Their mistake, Duo still keeps his gun there. Then one guy went around spreading fire starter while the second one kept asking me about a case of samples. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about and added a few comments of my own. I never _can_ keep my mouth shut. 

He didn't like that and started to get mad. He slapped me around a bit, then the other guy comes in and says to hurry up. Jerk #2 wasn't getting anywhere and was starting to look at me funny. That's when I pulled Duo's gun and told them to get lost. Jerk #1 couldn't believe I'd do that, that I'd shoot. He said something about teaching me a lesson. He's now hobbling around on one shattered knee cap and a bum arm. Jerk #2 started freaking out and pulled the gun they had taken away from me but just then the phone started to ring. I told him if he shot me I would take him with me. He just kinda sneered and said I could burn. Then he took his partner and left." Hilde shivered at the memory of it all. Quatre frowned, looking at her wrist.

"If you were cuffed...." he began, than trailed off as Hilde started to laugh, a slight hysterical edge to her voice.

"I haven't lived this long with Duo for nothing! I had him teach me how to slip cuffs one time when I was bored." Hilde calmed down slightly. Quatre grinned at that. He should have known. Duo was _very_ handy at getting out of restraints.

"It was close though. I mean, the flames were everywhere! But I managed to get free and smashed the window out. I did manage to grab some clothes, coat and hat. They're all Duo's though and too big. I snuck out and was making myself scarce till I spotted you..." Hilde giggled at the picture Quatre had made, waving his arms and acting the part of a rich and cranky acquaintance.

Quatre blushed slightly but waved his hand grandly.

"Well, I'm ever so glad Duo has such a resourceful girlfriend and here we are at the shuttle port so get your hat on and lets head for 'Lena's. She'll be worried about you and we have enough to worry about with Duo." Quatre added gently. Hilde's face went taut as she adjusted her coat and hat.

"Yes. And when I find that boyfriend of mine is he ever going to get a piece of my mind... wait, hold that thought. I need all of my mind I can hang on to!" Hilde said grimly. 

Quatre was glad it was a private shuttle, that made it so much easier to get Hilde aboard with little fuss. Only a few minutes later and they were on their way, Quatre being careful to call and tell Relena that they were on their way so they could make the necessary precautions. Hilde wasted no time getting to sleep, she really was exhausted.

Landing on the Earthside port hours later Quatre was surprised to find Trowa waiting for them, official car and all. Quatre quickly made arrangements for Jase to return to business headquarters and keep things running while keeping Quatre informed about a few specific points Quatre had discussed with him at the last minute. 

Declaring himself ready to go, they made their way uninterrupted to the car with Hilde in the middle. Once safely ensconced in the vehicle, Trowa explained that Heero had actually found something and that since Wufei was running information through the Preventers databases, they had asked him to come and act the part of bodyguard for Hilde and Relena both if things got ugly; figuring that with Quatre and Trowa both there, they could cover all bases. 

Quatre agreed with him whole heartedly. That's when Hilde who had been taking her time waking up, latched onto something Trowa had said.

"You said Heero found something...! Do you mean he thinks he found Duo?!" Hilde asked anxiously.

"Not exactly but it makes a good lead; the _first_ real lead we've had. He found a shuttle security recording with Duo and strange blond man who was listed as Douglas McArthur on it. It...was...quite the show." Trowa said with vast dry humor.

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked, his curiosity piqued. Something was nagging at the back of his mind and he just couldn't quite latch onto it. Something...he was missing.

"You'll have to see for yourself." Trowa said a faint curl of his mouth.

That they did. After Hilde had taken time to freshen up and sort out which of Relena's clothes she would borrow till she got some of her own, she hurried to the 'war' room where everyone else was waiting for her; Quatre's damp hair showing evidence of a quick shower on his part. Trowa started the recording.

When shown the recording, Quatre's eyes got wider and wider while Hilde just collapsed in helpless laughter at the end of it. Relena herself was grinning in amusement, she'd seen it before but it was still amazing to her, to watch the ease with which the two boys had managed. And the looks on the two thugs faces...

  
  


~~ FLASHBACK~~

  
  


Relena remembered when Heero had shown her the video the first time. She had come to his quarters with tea and some food; determined not to let him run himself down. He had been to the shuttle port twice where Duo had supposedly gotten off but had found nothing out of order. That is, if you don't count a vast reluctance to talk. But then, that wasn't so unusual for that port which was at a low income area and showed it. Make that, supplemented income, Heero figured. The last time he'd visited, though, one of the workers had let something slip about an odd lapse in security on a certain date. 

Heero hadn't been able to get more out of the man since they'd been interrupted by one of the aforementioned security guards. But he'd been given enough to work on and instead of settling for just hacking into the shuttle port's system, had gone so far as to physically 'borrow' the recording itself. He had then made a recording of the recording and had returned the original; apparently with complete success as he noted the lack of outcry. 

Armed with his own copy he had settled down to watch it when Relena came around with the food. So they sat and watched it together. Relena had looked on in bemusement as Heero watched it twice; then got on the phone with Wufei. He had sent a copy to Wufei directly after for him to try his hand at refining and enlarging it. Wufei had promised to have it back ASAP. Heero had used that time to take a shower and nap. 

When it finally came in the wee hours of the night, Heero had wasted no time playing it. Relena had asked him to alert her when it came which he did. Heero had then proceeded to play it over so many times with an intense concentration that Relena finally had to ask him what he was looking at.

He looked at her with a tiny, tiny smirk beginning to twitch the corners of his mouth and started to tell her what was being said.

_....."You're reading their **mouths?!!!!! Heero Yuy.....you....ALL THIS TIME YOU KNEW WHAT WAS BEING SAID???!!!!"...**_

**__**__...."_Only the parts where they're facing the camera and really, the only important thing I understand is that this so called McArthur took something they want and for some reason Duo is helping him out. Voluntarily I'd say....Duo is having **waayy** too much fun here_."..... 

...."_so is there anything helpful you can use? Anything at all?" Relena had asked forlornly. She felt bad for Hilde. If this was all just a huge joke to Duo...nah! He wouldn't do that to Hilde. Would he?_

_"....Not much. He went from the port to Howard's and then vanished. How you camouflage hair like his is beyond me......" Heero shook his head sinking deep in thought. He'd wanted to hunt down that employee and talk to him again but that man had also vanished off the face of the earth. Time to do some research into the chief of security maybe? The lack of security activity had stuck out like a sore thumb from the very beginning. Yeah, that was a start._

He had settled down to some serious hacking. Unfortunately, all this had little to do with Duo's whereabouts at first glance and only slightly more to do with the blond stranger. The significant lack of information was starting to grate on Heero's nerves. 

He didn't like to show it but he truly was worried about his friend. Yes, friend. He wasn't quite sure when or how but he was realizing that he did have friends and Duo was up there at the top somewhere. Along with Trowa, Quatre and Wufei. Relena was in a category all her own. It going on nearly a week since anyone had laid eyes on Duo and the more Heero learned the less he liked what he saw. And just _who_ was this blond guy anyway?

  
  


~~PRESENT~~

  
  


"Aaaahhhh!" Quatre exclaimed suddenly, snapping Relena's attention back to the present and drawing the attention of everyone in the room away from the recording and onto him.

Quatre fished around in his jacket mumbling to himself then came up with the keycard triumphantly.

"Ok, Hilde, can you tell me what this is?!" He looked at Hilde expectantly. She took it and turned it over once, twice then nodded.

"Yeah I think so. It looks to me like a keycard for renting a locker or storage compartment. Why? Where did you get this?" Hilde asked glancing up at Quatre with a puzzled look in her eyes.

"In the mail!" Quatre said intently. "I forgot to tell you but I got a message in the mail. We couldn't tell who it's from for sure although I'm guessing it was Duo. All it said was 'Tell Schbeiker beware blitzkrieg and needles'. Whatever a 'blitzkrieg' is.... "he finished in puzzlement.

"Errr..that's German for lightning attack or some such thing." Hilde informed them blinking in bewilderment. "But what's that got to do with needles?"

Everyone looked at her blankly. They all shrugged in unison.

"But if it _was _Duo that sent me that message, why couldn't this be from him too?!" Quatre said in gathering excitement. 

"Good thinking Quatre." a voice from behind said. "So... why don't you see if you can track it down while I follow my lead?" 

Everyone turned to see Heero leaning against the doorjamb dangling a key ring in his hand.

"Found it I see..." was all Trowa said. Heero nodded. Hilde and Quatre looked confused. Relena had pity on them.

"Just before you two arrived, Heero got a call from Wufei. Wufei apparently intercepted a call about a stolen rental bike. It was rented out by Duo and was apparently abandoned at some Bar & Grill. Wufei said he has it being taken care of through the proper channels and authorized Heero to check it out. That's where Heero has been." Relena said while Hilde's face lit up.

"That's great!" Hilde said happily. Trowa and Quatre were watching Heero's face uneasily. He looked at Hilde.

"Yeah, it is." he said reservedly.

Relena looked at him sharply, she hadn't lived with him this long and not picked up on a few things. He looked at her then back at Hilde. Hilde still looked plenty tired. 

"Hilde, why don't you bring us up to date on what you know and then go rest while we figure out what to do next, hmmm? You're about dead on your feet." Relena smoothly created an out for Heero. He looked at her with something like gratitude in his eyes. Trowa and Quatre looked at each other and then at Hilde. 

Hilde was so tired that if she noticed it wasn't registering. The nap had helped but she was still feeling the effects of the past several days. So she told them all what she knew and allowed Relena to bundle her off to one of the guest rooms leaving the guys alone together. The minute she had Hilde out the door they pounced. Well, Quatre pounced, Trowa leaned.

"Ok, Heero, spill. What was it you didn't want to say in front of Hilde?" Quatre asked in apprehension. Trowa went so far as to raise his visible eyebrow in query. So Heero told them. He'd gotten the call from Wufei....

~~ FLASHBACK~~

  
  


He'd been looking at records for one J. B. Shisekuri, a certain security chief with a none too shiny clean record, when the vidphone chimed. Picking it up, Wufei popped on screen.

"Got something for you Heero. Actually it was Sally that caught it." this with a slight shake of his head...whether from admiration or peevishness at not having got it first Heero couldn't tell.

"There is an official complaint for one stolen Kuzi motorcycle by a Brent's Transportation Rental's. I'm assuming you know about that one." Heero nodded. Wufei continued. 

"What you don't know is there was also a complaint of an abandoned Kuzi that's been taking up parking space at a Juke's Bar & Grill that matches the description and registration number of the rented Kuzi from Brent's. It was brought to the local police..." Wufei snorted. He had a less than complimentary evaluation of the local Chief of Police, "...and Lady Une is seeing what she can do to sooth ruffled feathers and get it under our jurisdiction. We're claiming Preventer's business. You know, 'we have a vested interest in the Gundam Pilots etc etc.'. I'm authorizing you as of now to take the necessary steps to investigate as per Lady Une so don't blow it!" Wufei paused. 

For just an instant there might have been something other than a stone face flickering through then it was gone. Heero just nodded. He didn't have to say it, 'Ninmyou Ryoukai', it wasn't necessary. He hung up and grabbed his jean jacket on the way out. It was raining. _Delightful..._ Heero thought to himself sourly.

Arriving at Juke's Bar & Grill, Heero first hunted the bike down. Looking it over carefully while determinedly ignoring the light rain, Heero could see nothing wrong with it. It was just your average rental. Duo had locked it down carefully and securely and no one had bothered it. There was nothing exceptional about it at all that Heero could see. 

After he was satisfied he'd missed nothing, he then headed indoors shaking the rain out of his hair once inside. Going to the bar, he managed to get the attention of a surly bartender who's dirty smock said his name was Mack.

"I'm looking for someone. My age, dressed all in black, long brown braid, have you seen him? Or this guy..." flashing a bad photo of McArthur. The bartender looked at the photo, looked at Heero, back at the photo and spat sideways. Glaring at Heero the cranky guy started to turn away. Obviously, to him, the conversation was over before it had begun. Heero pulled his gun and cocked it. The man froze. The customers closest to Heero, at least the ones not too drunk to notice, all started to find business elsewhere.

"Like I said, I'm looking for these people; and you know something you're not telling." Heero said in a deadly soft voice. 

The bartender glared fiercely at him and started to move on, having convinced himself Heero didn't dare shoot for real. He changed his mind real quick when Heero snapped off a quick shot that creased his ear and made a bottle and the mirror directly behind it, explode in a shower of glass.

The man clapped a hand to his ear which was truly not damaged, just burned and bleeding the tiniest bit.

"Look, I'm having a bad day and while I could stand here and play twenty questions with you I'd get more stress relief by watching you dance. I know you know something, and you know I know you know something So don't make me repeat myself!" Heero raised his voice just a bit.

The man growled but obviously the kid was nuts.

"That's assault and battery kid....." he started, snarling. He just didn't know when to stop.

"No, that's impeding an investigation by an authorized Preventer agent, a possible long term in prison if I'm feeling generous and do I looking generous to you? My mistake!"Heero responded coldly bringing his gun to bear with the other ear.

The man paled. This kid wasn't nuts he was an out and out psycho. Meanwhile, Heero was thinking distantly..._this is a bit frightening...I'm starting to sound like **Duo**_**!**__

"Look, kid, I don't know anything, really! That guy there..." pointing to the photo, "I'd been told that if he ever came in to call a certain number. My buddy didn't give me any details only told me there'd be money in it and no one would get hurt so what harm would it do? Then that kid came in, the one with the braid. They seemed to know each other. That one (again motioning to the photo) made a smart remark, he shouldn't have done that no one makes fun of Mack and gets away with it! They went over to that booth back there, number 12. Then after a bit a couple of other guys came in and went over, then the braid had some sort of accident and they all left together. None of them been back since." Mack spilled in a surly rush.

"What sort of accident?!" Heero asked sharply.

"How should I know? I'm a working man!!" Mack snarled in fresh aggravation. He tried his best intimidating glare again. It didn't work any better now than it had the first time. Heero's eyes narrowed.

"His hand was dripping blood, and that's all I know I swear!!!" Mack added in a rush. 

"Did you catch their names?" Heero asked after a cool moments thought. _So much for no one getting hurt!_

"Just him." Again the photo. "I've seen him before. His name's Deuce Kipling." Mack shifted impatiently. 

_JACKPOT!!!_ Heero mentally nodded to himself with satisfaction. _Finally!!_

"Anything else?" Heero added. Mack shook his head grudgingly. Heero turned to go.

"By the way..." Heero added pseudo pleasantly. Mack scowled at him.

"About the Look...I'll give you a 4.8." satisfied with himself, Heero turned to leave, _I've **definitely** been spending **too** much time with Duo!_

"I 'member him, t'at braid is kinda unmishtakeable." a voice slurred behind Heero. He turned sharply. The man had been drinking but looked relatively stable in spite of his words. The man looked at Heero and nodded his head with drunken deliberateness.

"Strange'n too. But seem' nice 'nough even wi' the hair. Don' know why they'd wan' shoot 'im." the man mumbled.

"_What did you say?!"_ Heero was clutched by a sudden feeling of foreboding. He knew it, he _knew it! Trust Duo to get mixed up in something complicated and lethal!!!_

Mack took the opportunity to vanish. He made sure he didn't come out again till the crazy kid was gone. Heero meanwhile, was practically nose to nose which didn't last long as Heero got a good whiff of the man's breath. Practically pulling the man out of the chair by his lapel, he asked again,

"**_What did you say?_**__" 

"I shaid..." he tugged at his lapel totally ineffectively till Heero relaxed his grip.

"I _shaid_, uhhh...what did I shay?" he looked at Heero's steely eyes and tried again.

"I shaid...I dunno! But I sssaw t'e whole t'ing. D-d-d-don' h-h-h-ave ta s-s-hake me ta pieces..."

"What **_happened_**__?" Heero gritted his teeth then took a deep breath, let the man go and got a grip on himself. Too many late nights. He made a conscious effort to fall back into the Perfect Soldier persona.

He was getting soft. During peace, there was no need to stay constantly on the edge.

"Buy me a drink an' I'll be glad ta tell ya everyt'ing." the man suggested hopefully. Heero looked at him coldly.

"If you **_don't_** tell me you won't **_get_** a drink for a good long while. How about a stint in the drunk tank?" 

The man clutched his drink to him in an irrational fear it would disappear and then made a belated effort to sober up and be coherent.

"Well?" Heero said patiently. 

"Ish..._it_'slike thish..._this!_ I work late shif'..._shift..._see, an' I shtopped..._shtopped..._shtopped..." he gave up and hurried on at Heero's dark stare, "an' thought I'd shtop ta get a nightcap, see...an' so I come 'round thish corner see...I wash..._was_...almos' bowled over by dis blon' fella an I hear thish _bang! _an' wadda I shee..._see_ but t'ese two fella's on 'd groun' looks like they'sh wrastlin' an' the one on top, why, he'sh got a gun shee, an is takin' real good aim at th' blon' feller who'sh yellin' somethin' like 'RUN' an' den t'at one you wash talkin' 'bout, with the hair...jumps in b'tween the two." the man rambled on while Heero just sat there for a long moment, frozen in time. Then he heard the man say something else and brought his attention back sharply.

"D'ey shot 'im right 'nough, I could shee blood on t'e groun' like. But what they wan' wit' a dead body is beyon' me....." the man kept on mumbling, this time into his drink.

"Wait! Do you mean they took the body with them?" Heero leaned forward.

"Yup. Dat's how I know'sh they got 'im. Saw t'e blood when t'ey picked 'im up. He lef' blood on the shidewalk....lot'sh of it..."

"_Enough with the blood ok?!!!!"_ Heero snarled in exasperation. The man nodded hastily.

After discerning that the man had nothing more to add, he got the man's name and number and left. There was a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach he couldn't quite identify.

But why take a dead body? Maybe because it wasn't really dead?? And then there was the matter of Duo's hand... maybe that was the blood the drunk had seen....Heero shook his head. Not likely. Which brought him back to the original question.

~~PRESENT~~

  
  


"He's alive." Quatre said with confidence even though he looked apprehensive.

"Who's alive?" this from Relena standing in the door looking at them with confusion on her face.

"Duo...we think." Heero filled her in. She stood there with her eyes closed for a long moment.

"Poor Hilde." she said softly. "No wonder you didn't want to say anything right now. I'll tell her tomorrow." Heero nodded. Good decision and Relena would be able to do it with tact.

"You sure Quatre?" Trowa asked quietly. Quatre nodded a little uncertainly.

"I think so. I think I would have known. We're good friends." he added with a little more firmness. 

"Then we'll work on that assumption and go from there." Heero said simply. The others nodded. 

"I'll inform Wufei." Trowa said plainly and left to do just that. Heero looked at Quatre.

"I know, I know, I'm on my way right this minute!" Quatre said with a small grin, waving his hand at Heero on the way out. That left Heero and Relena. They looked at each other and then Relena was moving towards him.

"Bring Duo home Heero. That's all I ask. For Hilde, for us....and for you." Heero nodded and with that, she stood on tiptoe, gave him a brief kiss and left as silently as she had come.

Heero stood there in bemusement, one hand on his mouth, than shrugged to himself and headed for the door and his room. He had work to do and a name to track down. And he had a friend to bring home...orders of the Vice Foreign Minister. 

  
  



	4. Duo's Story Part B

**DUO'S STORY PART B**

**CHAPTER 4**

  
  


The first thing Duo became aware of was his throbbing skull. The more alert he became the worse it got until all he could think of was the pounding headache that had developed.

Trying to focus through the pain, he thought there was something he had to remember or do....if he could just think past this headache that was starting to center on the right side of his head. He reached up to see just what was wrong and found he couldn't move. That's when it started to come back to him. He lay there, for how long he couldn't tell, just resting. Resting and remembering. 

Finding that as long as he took it slow he could move at least a little, he took a limited look around. He appeared to be in a room with one dim window. It was dark but not pitch black. A gleam of light showed through under his door. He was on a hospital bed and under restraint.

Cautiously testing the straps did absolutely nothing so he gathered his strength, braced himself against the pain in his head and pulled putting his all into it. That's when he rediscovered his hand.

Sagging back, fire creeping up his arm from his hand, he concentrated on taking deep breaths until he had forced everything to a dull roar at the back of his mind. 

First off, he was going to presume he was caught. Why else would he be strapped down like a guinea pig? 

The last thing he remembered was seeing Jez taking careful aim at Deuce's back and the thought that shot through his mind that he **_couldn't_**let Deuce get killed He'd tried to get between them as he was simply too far away to do anything else, and he'd succeeded. A searing pain skimmed along his head and everything went gray than black. Evidently Jez and Chance had decided that if they couldn't get Deuce, he was the next best thing and perhaps he was. After all, he had something both parties wanted.

However, with what he knew now about what it was in those vials, there was no way he was going to let anyone have it. Not on his life. 

Grimly ignoring the matching throbs in his head and hand, he started working on his restraints. Normally, they wouldn't have been that hard but with the shape his hand and head were in he was just too slow. A sound at the door alerted him to the fact that he had company.

Deciding not to bother with the possum routine he kept his eyes open as four men came in. Jez, Chance, and two men he didn't recognize; one of which was in a white coat. That one started checking him over paying special attention to his head. Duo glared at him but as he could do nothing it was patently ineffective. At last the man in white straightened, satisfied.

"Ok, he's good to go" he stated simply and left. 

_On what, **exactly**, is he basing his opinion?! _Duo thought crankily to himself. The man hadn't even so much as glanced at Duo's hand which felt a bit sticky. 

The as of yet unidentified man regarded him coolly, completely disregarding Duo's Look. _After this much time with Heero you'd think I'd could expect it to have a little more effect than this!!! _Duo continued to grumble to himself. Jez and Chance fidgeted. At last the unidentified man flicked his finger at Duo, all without saying a word. Chance started forward with something a little too much like glee on his face. Undoing the restraints, Chance grabbed a fistful of Duo's collar and yanked him upright without any preliminaries. 

Duo's headache came back full force and his knees threatened to fold under him as his vision narrowed and dizziness hit full force. He was seeing two of everything and was sure he was going down. Concussions can do that to you. Though he'd had worse.

Somehow he kept his feet from sheer stubbornness. The unidentified man was waiting impatiently at the door and with no options open at the moment, Duo moved his direction; Jez and Chance falling into place behind him. He was lead to an office like room and steered to a chair into which he was delighted to fall into as he wasn't sure how much longer he could have kept his feet. The boss man, for that's who it had to be, moved around behind a nice, hand carved mahogany desk and sat down, calmly folding his hands under his chin.

"So, Duo Maxwell. I never thought I'd have the pleasure so soon. If it's not one thing it's another, eh?" he spoke at last. Duo didn't like this. The man clearly knew him but he couldn't place the man at all. Duo studied the man steadfastly ignoring the two on either side of him.

"Don't know what you're talking about. Who are you?" Duo asked also steadfastly ignoring his pounding head.

"Ahh, yes. I was just another body then." the man tilted back in his chair. 

"Of course, when I saw you, you had been bested by a mere girl. Though in the end you did manage to get away. Such a pity...you owe me for a good laptop." the man said with an oddly pleased look in his eyes that didn't do anything for his face. Duo scowled unhappily. The man was playing games with him.

"We were on our way to the moonbase, you blew our engine, took a suit...ahh, the light dawns. Yes, I was Hilde's commanding officer. But enough of that. You may call me Peter Piper." Peter leaned back contentedly. He never had imagined having such an opportunity as he had now. Duo had seriously damaged his career and caused him untold humiliation not only for escaping but for subverting his under officer and trashing the shuttle. He'd been stuck with compensation for the damages. Lower officer's pay wasn't exactly generous. And he'd worked so hard too, Oz had been the only life he'd known. Everything had gone downhill from there until he'd been released with a dishonorable discharge, a disgrace to the military and his father who was a staunch military man. He'd had plans, big plans and Maxwell had ruined them _all_!!!

And now here Maxwell was, practically handed to him on a silver platter. With an internal sigh Peter decided it was time to get down to business. He leaned forward.

"So tell me Maxwell, what's your gain in this?" he asked pleasantly. Duo didn't trust it one bit.

"World wide travel? You know, look at the scenery, see the sights, including the last two native apes in existence long thought to be extinct by...ooomph!" Duo reeled as Jez slugged him face full of fury as it dawned on him what Duo was insinuating. 

Duo honestly thought his head would explode and for a minute he sagged, held upright only by someone's hands. Whose he had no idea. The world went very, very gray for a bit than slowly started to come back into focus again. He heard voices but for a very long moment couldn't make out what was being said. Then everything was quiet for a moment as his head was twisted upwards then dropped. 

He hung there for several long moments until he found the strength to open his eyes. The room was getting crowded with two and sometimes three of everybody. _Not good, another blow like that might do some serious damage. I hate to say it Duo my man, but you are in a serious mess here._

"I'd advise you to make some effort here Mr Maxwell before you get dropped. It would be terribly undignified to work a deal off of the floor wouldn't you say, hmmm?" Duo was beginning to hate that voice. He straightened somewhat supporting his weight on shaky arms against the chair.

"Let's try this one more time. Oh, and may I say that another blow just might do some serious damage...I'd suggest not provoking Jez again. So, will you answer my question?" Piper smiled at him, still maintaining the pretense of pleasantness.

_Of course, with him it might not be a pretense..._ was the thought that flickered through the back of Duo's mind.

"What....was...question....again?" Duo ground out through gritted teeth. Piper was losing his smile. And was that irritation flickering in his eyes?

"What is your gain in this?" he repeated.

"In what?

"_This!_ This cat and mouse game."

"Hilde wanted a calico for her birthday...too many rats arou....." this time Jez went for his stomach. Piper lost his smile altogether. 

This time Duo _would _have hit the floor but someone had grabbed his braid..._he's gonna pay for that..._and held his head up. When he had partially recovered from the latest abuse, Piper came around the desk. He did not look pleased anymore.

"Mr Maxwell, I don't think you realize the severity of the situation. Kipling stole something from us and we _are _going to get it back! One way or another. It would be much to your advantage to cooperate with us. Namely, you'd keep your life." Piper looked at him through narrowed eyes, than put his pleasant face back on.

"I will ask you one last time. Think carefully Mr Maxwell. What is your gain in this? How are you involved with this Deuce Kipling?"

"Wellll...promise not to tell? For sure? Cross your heart and hope to die? It's like this...would you lean a little closer...I don't want anyone to hear...Ok...ready?_ I don't know yet. He **did** make mention of an ice cream cone...what do you think...is he trustworthy?" _

__Dead silence as Piper slowly straightened. His eyebrow beginning to tick furiously, Piper looked at Duo for a long moment. _Uh oh, Duo m' boy, you just may have pushed him too far this time. Better get set cuz I think I'm in for hurricane Piper!_

Piper slowly and deliberately moved back around his desk, sat down and then opened his mouth.

"Mr Maxwell obviously doesn't take us serious...he doesn't take **_me_**__ serious. Gentlemen, I want you to get full satisfaction from him; my only caution is to avoid killing him. He must be able to comprehend what's happening to him and _when you're done do it again and **when you're done with that bring him to me WHERE I SHALL FLOG HIM TILL HE SCREAMS FOR MERCY OR DIES AND THIS IS THE LAST TIME YOU MAKE A JOKE OF ME MAXWELL!!!" **_Piper was shrieking at the last and as Chance and Jez eagerly started for him, Duo braced himself, startled in spite of himself at the sudden switch in Piper's persona. It was going to be a long hard day. 

_Sorry Hilde, never got to say goodbye properly, hope you never see this maniac again, I think he's finally flipped out!!! Heero, you better take good care of her, guys watch your backs. _

__Halfway through the first round, Jez and Chance paused as Piper leaned over Duo to ask him viciously,

"Having fun yet Maxwell? **_I _**__am!!" Duo somewhere managed to drudge up a half grin. It was all he could manage.

"9.4... Heero... still better..... good help is... hard to find... neh?" Duo could hear Chance snarl and as his vision narrowed down to nothing from Chance's blow, he laughed to himself at how susceptible they were to manipulation. 

This time when Duo awoke, he ached all over. _Well, this's one way to do it, if I hurt worse elsewhere I won't be thinking of my head!_ Duo mentally mumbled to himself. It really wasn't any consolation at all. But as he came around he became aware of one odd fact. He ached in a dozen places but he wasn't nearly as bad off as he'd expected to be. Not that he was ungrateful mind, but he had figured that even incompetent twits like Jez and Chance could do better than this.

He'd had worse as a child running the streets. Not for long though, he was a fast learner. It hadn't been long before he'd learned how to hold his own.

Prying his eyes open, he realized he'd been moved. He no longer rated a bed apparently.

_And they stayed away from my face, that's awful nice 'n considerate of them._

This time it was several hours before anyone came. Duo dozed as best he could until he heard noise at the door. This time it was only Jez and Chance. This time it was Chance that came and jerked him up while Jez waited at the door. Jez couldn't seem to make up his mind wether he was happy or mad. Chance was just plain mad. It didn't help his disposition any when he ended up supporting Duo as his right leg didn't seem to be working quite right.

They ended up back at the office, only this time when they sat him down in the chair Chance went about tying him down firmly with way too much enthusiasm. Once again Piper settled down behind the desk. He stared at Duo, his pleasant facade firmly in place. It was getting on Duo's nerves big time.

"Well, Mr Maxwell. It seems I have a use for you yet. I regret my loss of temper earlier, rest assured that I am well pleased you are still relatively hale and healthy. I do trust you can look beyond my unfortunate temper and work with me towards a compromise suited for us both." he paused. 

_Unfortunate temper?! Hale **and healthy?!! He wants to COMPROMISE??? HE'S NUTS!! TOTALLY INSANE!!!!**_ Duo thought****__in sheer disbelief. The man was still waiting for a response.

"Compromise how?" was all Duo could get out at the moment. 

"It's like this. Deuce Kipling has managed to totally slip my men. You, not only are a Gundam Pilot, but already know what he looks like and have spent a certain amount of time with him." Piper tilted the chair a bit looking up at the ceiling.

"In short, I want you to track him down and get our stolen item back. His state of health is of no concern to us." Piper was still looking at the ceiling. Duo mentally shook his head in disbelief.

"And if I refuse?" Duo asked. "How can you be sure you can trust me?"

"I have taken that under consideration. Dr Verden? If you please." Piper smiled at Duo. Duo had a feeling of dread deep inside. 

The man in the lab coat entered the room. His face completely blank, he pulled out a syringe. Duo's face paled in spite of himself. He looked at Piper who just stared back dreamily.

"Y-y-you can't be serious! What are you doing? Just what **are you playing at Piper?! Piper?!! Wait!" **Duo said frantically, his voice rising he desperately tried to think his way out of this one. He started to struggle as Piper just nodded to Dr Verden who grabbed Duo's arm firmly and efficiently injected the whole syringe. Duo gave up struggling, it was making his hand throb worse and worse, to glare at Piper with promise in his eyes. 

"You may go Doctor." Piper said pleasantly. He swivelled back to gaze coolly at Duo.

"That, Maxwell, was a wonderful concoction known as PSD23....ahhh, I see you're familiar with it. No doubt, you _are_ from L2 after all." Piper nodded to himself.

"You see, Pratcher, the discoverer of this PSD23, was distantly related to me. I inherited all his notes and all his experiments. Now that I have firmly established myself in these wonderful times of peace following the wars there are hundreds of opportunities to gain wealth, power, influence...ahhh! The spoils of war indeed. But of course that wouldn't interest you would it Mr Maxwell? At any rate, there are always people willing to take power and of course there's always room to _sell_ power as well." Piper dropped all semblance of geniality so suddenly is was like a switch had been turned off inside of him. Duo was feeling rather numb all over.

"What Kipling has in his possession, Mr Maxwell, was all of our samples of PSD23....all but one that is. So to lay it out for you Mr Maxwell....._you_ are going to die. You will die _unless_ of course you _find _this Deuce Kipling and his stash and return it to me. You asked how I can be sure I can trust you...I can't of course. Gundam Pilots are amazingly resourceful and stubborn. I shall be sending one of my men with you. He will report back to me on a regular basis. If you so much as arouse his suspicions, Maxwell, you will suffer the consequences. And after I'm done with you I will personally hunt down Schbeiker at my leisure and you can imagine the rest. And if your fellow pilots get in on this, they shall go down as well. I believe we are finished here....Rip!" at Piper's call, a man entered. He was of medium height, well built without being bulky, with normal mousy brown hair cut in no particular fashion. He had a sense of stillness about him that was silently unnerving or would have been if Duo hadn't worked alongside Wufei and Heero so long. Jez and Chance were untying him but Duo didn't move. Something inside of him seemed frozen in disbelief.

"This is your 'partner' Rip. Watch him well. I don't want anymore disappointments." with that Piper got up and headed for the door with Jez and Chance falling in behind him like well trained bloodhounds.

Rip looked at Duo. Duo looked at nothing in particular still trying to absorb what had happened. Finally he looked up at Rip who looked back impassively. 

_What have I gotten myself into? What have I gotten **them** into? Still, Piper's making one **major **mistake, thinking he can take out Heero and the others. And Shinigami too. But that doesn't mean lives won't be wasted. I gotta do something but what? Can't think...that **stuff**....was it the real thing? I **hate**__needles!!!_

His scattered thoughts were interrupted then when Rip finally moved; pulling him to his feet roughly and guiding him to the door. 

  
  
  
  



	5. Coming Together

**COMING TOGETHER**

**CHAPTER 5**

****

  
  


Duo looked around at what would be his new headquarters. With Rip right behind him urging him on, he hobbled on into the room. It was pretty much spartan with one bed and a couch, a kitchenette with a folding table and not much else. Rip kicked the door shut behind him, arms full of supplies. Dropping them on the couch he then proceeded to lock the door and slip the key in his pocket. Duo eyed him in disgust. What did he think Duo was gonna do? And one handed too. 

Duo was so tired and drained all he could think of was the bed. And there was a funny taste in his mouth too, _not _a good sign he thought sourly. Making his way into the bedroom he lowered himself gingerly to the bed. He lay there wishing he could go to sleep and instead his mind insisted on going in circles. He never knew quite when he drifted off thinking of Heero, Hilde and the others.

When he woke up it was raining. He had no way of knowing how long he'd slept. He lifted himself off the bed but sat back down leaning heavily. His head felt funny, the taste in his mouth was worse than ever, and he felt like he was floating. Looks like that crazy lunatic had given him the real thing. Oh, yeah and his hand was beginning to really make itself felt. That was one more thing he owed them.

Raising himself up he set out to take a shower and take care of his cuts and bruises. It took a while as he did the best he could; even if they'd quit early those two had still done a job on him. Some of his cuts he just gave up on. He also had never realized just how much you used your right hand until you couldn't any longer. Finally as done as he was going to get, he limped on into the living room, if you could call it that, having temporarily given up on his hair which was gathered in a band at the base of his neck. Braiding was a bitch with only one good hand. Rip wasn't there but Duo didn't have to wonder, he could see the door was securely bolted shut. 

There _was _a computer set up on a small desk and Duo went over to check it out. It was all hooked up and ready to go so he booted it up and started checking it out. It was fully equipped. Duo looked around again, nope. No boogie men in sight and no Rip either.

Time to send a message. Quatre was closest, he'd be able to protect Hilde. Wiping sweat from his face he set about sending his message. He'd have to be careful, he couldn't let it be traced back to this terminal. _Why is it so hot in here all of a sudden?_

And somewhere else, in an office with a polished mahogany desk, sat a man with a dreamy half smile on his face; as he calmly gave directions to destroy Duo's life. And a photo with a pixie face girl with short black hair and an enthusiastic smile lay face down over an old fuzzy photo of a pilot with a braid slumped between two Oz soldiers.

  
  
  
  


It had stopped raining by morning and as Heero sat in the kitchen nursing a cup of morning coffee, the sun spilled through the lacy curtains creating a gentle glow in the room. He'd been up all night and had found a lot of semi-interesting but mostly useless information. Then Quatre swept into the kitchen.

"Good morning Heero! I'm so glad it's nice out, I'm going out first thing this morning to track down that locker. Can I get you anything?" the last was said in a muffled tone as Quatre had his head in the fridge. It was the cook's day off. The housekeeping staff had long ago learned to give Heero free reign and the same general attitude spilled over onto the rest of the boys whenever they visited..

Heero just glared at his back. _If it's not Duo it's Quatre. How can anyone be so cheerful this time of the morning???_

"No!"he said sharply. He promptly went back to his cup of coffee. That didn't phase Quatre in the least. Coming up triumphantly with some fruit, he reached for the teapot and a cup.

Trowa came in looking his usual self and headed for the coffee pot, nodding an acknowledgment to each of the others. 

"Knowing you Heero, you probably stayed up half the night trying to get something. Did you actually come up with anyth....." Quatre paused and winced as a muffled yell sounded elsewhere in the house. Heero promptly held out his cup for more coffee and Trowa gave it to him seemingly not perturbed in the least.

Several minutes later Relena walked in looking troubled. She looked at Heero and it seemed as if she wanted to say something but changed her mind.

"How's Hilde?" Quatre asked in concern.

"As well as can be expected after a blow like that."Relena answered him honestly.

No one said anything for a long moment. She busied herself getting something to eat.

"And she's a bit bothered about not being told about it last night." Relena added. That was actually a major understatement. 

A good fifteen minutes later, Hilde entered the kitchen dressed in Duo's black shirt and pants with the sleeves and pant legs rolled up.

After casting a glare at Heero that almost rivaled his own, she coldly ignored them all and hunted down the cereal and milk. Trowa looked as if he wanted to leave, Quatre was thinking hard and Heero just sat there nursing his drink.

"Hilde, really, Duo's tough. He'll pull through all right..." Quatre tried a bit timidly. Hilde clenched her teeth. That wasn't the point. Well, it was but it wasn't. She looked up at him finally, with a fake sugar sweet smile.

"Good! Great! Really, I'm happy you have so much confidence in him." she started out. 

"So next time how about a little confidence in_ **me**_?!" midway, she switched from smiling at Quatre to a glare that ended up on Heero. Heero remained supremely undisturbed. Or was that a twitch starting in his eyebrow? Nah.

"What?" this from Relena. Bad move as Hilde pinned Relena under her angry gaze.

"Could it have anything to do with information a certain _someone_ withheld last night? I was a soldier too!!" Hilde snarled then returned determinedly to her food.

Heero glanced at Relena who just shrugged and looked pointedly at him. _Your problem pal, not mine!_ Heero sighed.

"If I had told you last night you would not have been able to rest." he told her finally.

Hilde pettishly refused to acknowledge that he might have been right. Just then Quatre spoke up with an appeal to Hilde to calm down in his eyes.

"Look, Hilde, I am gonna try to track down that locker key and I'd assume you would want some clothes of your own so why don't we all go together and make a day of it?" Quatre looked at her hopefully. Hilde sourly considered her now empty breakfast bowl and decided that wasn't such a bad idea.

She nodded, not quite ready to give up on her gripe but finding it a chore to be outraged for long. It just wasn't her style. Everyone looked relieved with the possible exception of Trowa. Well, Quatre _thought_ Heero looked relieved anyway.

"I won't be going with you." this from Heero.

"Ahhh! You _did_ find something didn't you?!" Quatre crowed in delight. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at them. Heero just grunted.

"Maybe and maybe not. I found a photo with what looks like one of the men that were in the shuttle port with Duo in some files connected to that port's security chief. I want to go check it out. Seems this chief has a couple of side businesses." Heero filled them in on what info he'd found.

"Right, then, lets get going!" Relena jumped up and grabbing Hilde, went to get ready to go. Quatre and Trowa each went their separate ways to get ready also. It wouldn't do to be caught unawares and unarmed.

  
  


It was taking longer than they would have wished but not so long as it could have until Quatre had found the locker. They checked all the storage rentals around the shuttle port but found nothing so Quatre and Trowa then figured the most likely route for Duo to travel to Howard's. That hadn't panned out either but it was soon after leaving there that Hilde spotted a rickety looking place that had a sign hanging from one corner that said 'Whooser's Storage Plaza'. 

Quatre walked in and showed the man his key and instead of the different variations of "I don't know what you're talking about" or even "What are you trying to pull kid?!" the man, looking about as lively as a living rock, scanned it in, gave it back to them and waved his hand negligently towards the back of the lot. 

"Lot C section 14." and then the man proceeded to go back to his tattered magazine.

Hilde sucked in her breath and Quatre shot a piercing glance at Trowa who nodded and headed in the direction the man had indicated.

"What a shoddy place!" Relena said in mild annoyance at the state the place was in.

"Yeah, but perfect for storing something risky. Look, these lockers are all solid but the place doesn't look like something I'd pick for safe storage of something so valuable people would be willing to kill to get." Trowa spoke up as he looked around. He couldn't decide if it was a stroke of genius on Duo's part or just a coincidence. 

"Here we are."Hilde said unnecessarily. Quatre looked around casually as did Trowa and then inserted the keycard. It worked. Inside was a black case about the size of a briefcase. Quatre pulled it out acting casual as if it belonged to him. 

"That's the SBE that Duo wanted, I'm sure of it." Hilde said in a low voice. 

Closing the locker and leaving the key with the man behind the counter, they all piled into their car and waited anxiously for Quatre to open it. He popped the lid as they all hung over him and Hilde sucked in her breath. It was the SBE all right but it was the innocent looking case tucked into the corner where Duo had made room for it that held their attention.

"Well? What is it?" Trowa asked for once impatient as no one seemed to be moving. Quatre picked it up and looked it over carefully. 

"It is...." they all waited for him to finish... "a small case of vials filled with a blueish liquid?" Quatre finished weakly.

Relena smacked him upside the head. Even Trowa looked at him disgruntled.

"_OUCH!_ Well... _how should I know what it is?? I'm not a chemist!!!"_ Quatre yelped in protest.

"Then lets find one!" Relena suggested. "That is, **_after_**__ we get Hilde some clothes!"

"Right." Hilde agreed. Quatre closed the case after tucking the vials back into their little corner and then tucked it in the trunk locking it securely. They had something! What, Quatre wasn't sure but it was a whole lot better than the nothing they'd had up to now!!! 

Heero was getting nowhere fast. He'd gone back to the shuttle port only to find that the 

Chief hadn't been in and in fact, no one had seen him for several days. He apparently wasn't answering at home either. He'd asked around a bit and even showed the photo to a worker he'd talked to before briefly but no one seemed to know anything. Another dead end.

He had tracked down the Chief's home address and had managed to get in with a minimum of fuss but it had been a waste of time. Outside of the fact that the man had left in a hurry, there wasn't anything remarkable there. Just some old worn out pants, rickety furniture that looked about ready to fall apart, some food spoiling in the fridge, dishes in the sink. The state of the furniture did surprise Heero considering that he was sure the Chief wasn't poor. Not with all his 'supplemented income'. There was an old TV in the corner and a broken vidphone but there was no computer, no papers, nothing. There _was_ a square of dust free space on the shaky desk that could have been from a laptop. Whatever it had been it was gone now. He left the way he came making sure the door was locked behind him. 

The neighbors didn't seem to be home except for one eccentric old man who had tried to sic a pet skunk on him. He'd come within a hair of shooting the creature but had managed to keep his trigger finger still all the while reminding himself that he had a missing friend and that if he shot it he'd be shooting his chances of getting any answers down with it. After convincing the old man that he meant no harm (he hadn't known he had it in him) which had taken a good twenty minutes, the man had then tried to talk his ear off. It hadn't taken long to realize that the man knew nothing.

_What a waste of time...Duo you had better be worth this!!! And **what crazy idiot would have a pet skunk anyway???**_

Heero was ready to strangle Duo when he saw him again. That would at least relieve the frustration of not getting anywhere. Of course, Hilde wouldn't like it none. Maybe he could just maim Duo a bit. _What is he thinking to put Hilde through this? To put...**us** through this?_

He had one more chore to take care of. He'd told Wufei that he'd take care of the bike's back fees. Unfortunately, the shops were already closing up for the night. With a sigh, Heero decided he would be spending the night so he could wrap up his business in the morning. But as always he'd brought his laptop. He could take another stab at unraveling the connection between the Chief and that one lackey. He almost had something there.......

That evening he hit the jackpot. With grim self satisfaction Heero stared at his computer screen. That Chief Shisekuri had two addresses. The first address was the one Heero had already been at but the other one was a fair distance away and in a section of town that was, if not in the wealthiest part of town, at least was modestly rich. 

He'd also found a name, Chance Stuart. A punkish looking man that apparently did a certain amount of courier service. For a company called Kale's Chemicals. They specialized in household chemical cleaners amongst other harmless miscellaneous stuff. There wasn't anything obviously wrong with the company, just a medium size business that made a good profit. But there was something about the company that just didn't set right with Heero. And this Chance guy had been seen in the company of Chief of Security Shisekuri himself.

Carefully saving all the files and info he deemed important, he sent them all to Quatre to look into until he had time to do it himself.

The next morning Heero, wanting to get it out of the way, hunted down the address to Chief Shisekuri's town house first. Pulling up to the modestly huge almost mansion, he parked the bike and pausing briefly for a scan of the grounds and possible obstacles, walked up to the door and rung the bell. He could hear the buzzer going off inside but nothing stirred. Looking around, he decided to try an alternate route. Mr Shisekuri was going to talk to him wether he wanted to or not. No one in sight, Heero soon had the door open in the same manner as he'd opened Shisekuri's apartment door. For a security man, this Chief Shisekuri was either being awfully sloppy or Heero was missing something. 

Slipping in the door he noticed that although there _were_ deadbolt locks on the door they hadn't been in place. Something was wrong, Heero had this feeling at the back of his neck. He'd learned a long time ago to pay attention to it.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Heero listened intently. Nothing. Moving out he started checking rooms. Three doors down he pushed open the door to what appeared to be a study. He halted just inside the door looking at the bodies. There were two of them. One, the Chief himself, was collapsed part way behind the desk that was parked at the other end of the room by the window. He'd been shot three times. Once in the head and twice in the chest. All of them fatal and very professionally placed, the two in the chest clustered close together.

The other body was apparently the butler or man servant. He was slumped in a chair. His throat had been slashed, neatly and very bloodily. His face had a look of horror while the Chief merely looked surprised.

Heero looked at them calmly, he'd seen worse. Sighing to himself he groused internally that it didn't look as if he'd be getting any answers after all. Someone had apparently caught on to the tape switch or had at least decided the sloppy head of security was a risk which he was Heero thought to himself. He started checking the office over for anything useful after which he called Wufei, Quatre and the police in the order. He settled himself in for what would be a long day. It was.

It was late into the afternoon when he finally got around to taking care of the bike and he was ready to shoot the next person to ask him a question....any question. _RED TAPE!!!_ Heero was beginning to hate it with passion. _How does Relena handle this day in, day out?_

So when he walked out of the bike rental after persuading the man (that had included pulling his gun out to check that it wasn't jammed in full view of the obnoxious manager) that he _did_ want to be agreeable and let Heero have the bike as long as necessary; he was _not _happy to find a piece of paper stuck in between the seat and the gas tank.

Senses alert, he looked around but saw absolutely nothing but people going about their business. Pulling the paper out warily, he glared at it. An address of sorts had been scrawled on it and not a thing more.

Shrugging he thought to himself, _Why not? Makes my day complete! At least this is fairly straightforward....sorta...after a fashion. Maybe **something** will go right for a change._

Pulling up some distance from the building, he made sure to park away from it far enough to avoid suspicion.

It was a fairly small, compact house that had been made over into apartments from the looks of it. Plain but serviceable. After observing it for some time and seeing nothing moving about he decided to see if anyone was home. It was getting on towards dusk and while he hadn't seen any lights, that didn't necessarily mean anything.

Walking up to the front entrance he looked for a name or something, anything suspicious. Nope, nothing. Opening the door, he entered a foyer that had two doors on either side. He paused to listen and heard sounds of movement on his right. _Might as well start with the neighbors. Someone obviously wanted me to find something here....._

So he knocked on the door. All sound ceased. He knocked again, more aggressively. He heard the sounds of someone behind the door and then it opened to put him nose to nose with a badly startled Duo. They gazed at each other in complete shock and then Duo slammed the door in his face!

"HEY!" Heero yelled coming out of his stunned amazement. He raised his fist to pound on the door only to have it flung open again banging against his hand.

"_Go **away!**_" banging shut

"YOU..." door in his face

"_Heero, for **once** in my life I'm **asking** you to ignore me_!!" Duo hissed at him. slam

"DO YOU **_KNOW_**__ WHAT YOU'RE **_DOING_**__ TO HILDE?!" Heero demanded to a closed door. door swishes open again

"**HEE_RO_**__....**!!**" Duo started to growl, voice rising in aggravation. A voice from behind him made him jump.

"Who is...." slam thump this time Heero had his foot in the door, determined that Duo wasn't going to shut him out again. Duo gave him a look filled with something undefinable and then whipped around as a man came up behind him from the dimly lit room.

"...this?" came a deadly calm voice.

"Uhh...just an old...acquaintance of mine....he..." Duo got no further as the strange man pulled a gun so fast and unexpectedly that both of them were taken off guard.

"Gundam Pilot 01." the man said flatly. Duo's face went completely blank. Heero gazed at the man in cool assessment. The man was no slouch with a gun. 

"Come in 01." the man said. Duo backed up carefully to allow Heero entrance. Heero calmly moved in and paused awaiting directions. The man waved them towards the shabby couch. Moving carefully, they both sat down. The man looked at Heero and then switched to Duo.

"Explain. And I want it to be good." he said.

"He found me, I swear I never got in touch with him Rip. Ask him." Duo jerked a thumb at Heero all the while avoiding his gaze.

Heero switched his gaze from Duo to the man he'd called Rip. Apparently, the bartender had been right. Duo's hand was wrapped in a clumsy bandage, and somehow Heero didn't think it had been an accident. It was patently obvious that Duo and this man were anything _but_ friends. And had he seen a bruise on Duo's face? Rip was looking at him expectantly.....

"It was his magnetic personality." Heero said with a perfect deadpan. Rip was not amused. Duo turned his head to gape at Heero. 

"I see." Rip said and then lined his gun up for a head shot at Duo.

"Someone stuck a paper with this address on my bike." Heero said a bit quicker raising the paper for inspection. Rip paused. Duo started breathing again.

"Let me see." Rip reached for it. Duo exploded off the couch in a roll taking advantage of Rip's shift in attention. He heard the gun go off twice but then he was crashing into Rip's legs and Rip started to go down minus his gun which was now in Heero's hands.

Rip managed to kick free of Duo and surged up right into Heero's swing with said gun.

Rip was down for the count. Duo got to his knees sucking air. He was winded and dizzy again but was recovering nicely from the almost paralysis of having Heero show up at his door unexpectedly. He raise his head to find Heero looking down at him with narrowed eyes and holding a hand absently to his left shoulder.

"In his words, Duo, explain. And I want it to be good." Heero looked down at him.

Absently noting that his shoulder was bleeding but that it was mostly a superficial burn; he was also noting that Duo was moving stiffly like he'd been worked over and fairly recently. And there was his hand....that would explain the sloppy braid his hair was in. What else was wrong? 

He watched as Duo made it to his feet with slight difficulty. He'd never met anyone that got beat up so frequently. But then again, he'd never met anyone with quite the mouth talent either. Duo paused, catching his breath.

"You all right Heero?" Duo asked as he went about finding something to tie Rip up with. He headed for the nearest closet; maybe there would be something there he could use.

"I'm fine! Now what about that explanation?" Heero scowled testily at Duo.

"Not gonna get one. Less you know the better!" Duo threw back over his shoulder. He buried his head in the closet then started digging through the junk. He came up with a handful of extension cords. 

_This will work **nicely!!!!**_ Duo thought with self satisfaction. He straightened up and turned only to find himself once more nose to nose with Heero. Heero glared at him. Duo looked back at him calmly holding up his hand full.

"If you don't mind....." Duo waited for Heero to move. Heero didn't budge.

"I've spent _hours_ trying to track you down, Hilde was attacked, Quatre has spent days fretting over the keycard you probably sent him, Relena's spent the entire time worrying about you, and Wufei has been on call 24/7 trying to help out at Preventer HQ, **_and all you got to say is 'the less you know the better'???!!!" _**__Heero wanted to strangle Duo in the worst way, like he'd contemplated earlier. 

Duo's face went dark and grim as he stared at Heero. The fury Duo had kept carefully banked was starting to boil deep inside. _So Piper didn't waste any time huh? So much for keeping up his end of the deal. But then, it's not as if I was gonna let him get by with what he's done anyway. And now that Heero's here, plans have changed. Can't say I'm sorry, Rip was worse than Heero when it comes to social interaction! _he grinned to himself _Wouldn't have believed it was possible!_

__"Is Hilde ok?" Duo asked in a distantly cool voice. Heero narrowed his eyes at Duo. What was going on with him? Heero had expected more reaction than this out of Duo.

"Hilde is fine." Heero informed him shortly. "But don't you think you owe us all an explanation?"

"Yep, but you're not getting one. Look Heero, have Quatre take that keycard to Whooser's Storage Plaza, get the SBE out of storage and dispose of the whole thing. I got something I gotta do. Just...please....protect Hilde. So, good bye and good luck."

Duo brushed past him to kneel beside Rip. Shaking the cords loose of each other, he started tying the man up.

"Aren't you even curious about Hilde? What's with you Duo?" Heero demanded studying Duo intently.

Duo paused, then finished up. Then he started going through the man's pockets.

"Heero, I know what I'm doing. It's for the best." Duo looked up. Heero wasn't done.

"Best for who? I can't just let this go Duo. I promised Relena I'd bring you back." Heero crossed over to the couch and sat down, settling in for a stay. He was beginning to feel the long days and lack of sleep but he wasn't about to show it let alone admit it.

Duo had an indecipherable look on his face. He started to get up and yet another wave of dizziness washed over him. He _had_ to get rid of Heero. Glumly, he admitted to himself that his chances were slim; when Heero got stubborn it was next to impossible to budge him. He refused to let himself dwell on Hilde too much. He had to focus if he was going to get Piper. And he didn't know how much longer he would be able to. He was having dizzy spells more and more frequently and he was sure he had a low grade fever. And there were the aches and pains every so often that he hadn't had before. Forcing himself up and steady he pocketed a ring of keys and headed for the computer.

"Well, I'm not going back Heero so why don't you do the smart thing and go back to Relena where you belong? Just tell her you couldn't find me. No one else will." Duo threw that over his shoulder not looking at Heero. He sat down and started sorting files. He'd been doing this when the knocking on the door had interfered.

"Now you're asking me to lie. I'm not buying it Duo and I'm not leaving. So live with it. I won't break my word to Relena." Heero said coldly, staying stubbornly put.

Duo shrugged. Now that Rip was out of the way, he was free to openly copy over files he had sneaked under Rip's nose on Piper and his organization. He couldn't do much about Heero, except give him the slip at the earliest opportunity. He was aware of Heero's gaze boring into his back but refused to let it distract him. He had a time limit to meet.

Heero watched Duo in intense speculation. This was a side of Duo he'd known was there but was rarely seen... with an added dimension. No grin, no jokes, no running commentary, in fact he was almost acting possessed. There were times when he just didn't get Duo! Whatever it was, he didn't think he liked this new Duo. Which faintly surprised him for as many times as he'd wished Duo would shut up.

"Who's Deuce Kipling/Douglas McArthur?" Heero asked suddenly. Duo looked up distracted. For the first time Heero saw the old familiar grin on Duo's face but it faded quickly.

"Just a ghost from my past Heero old buddy, a ghost from my past. Well, I'm about done here. I'm gonna pack up, take a little nap, and hit the road in a bit. You can crash here if you want, no one else ever comes here. I'm leaving Rip to you, be careful. He's a very dangerous man; we just happened to catch him by surprise. It won't happen again. Maybe Wufei can get something out of him." Duo finished saving files to the disk he'd claimed for his own. After all, Rip wouldn't be needing it anymore; and headed for the bedroom. Heero looked after him in irritated calculation. He'd never imagined that Duo would be a _bigger_ headache found than when he was missing.

Duo was feeling more and more nauseous as he collected what little he had with him. He'd made Rip buy him some spare clothes, shampoo and a hair brush but hadn't asked again. Rip hadn't liked it at all, playing errand boy and Duo had done some fast talking to convince him to do it the first time. 

Going in search of Rip's duffel bag, he appropriated it and all the weaponry inside, ignoring Heero who had taken over the computer. Done packing, he flopped exhausted on the bed. He felt like he'd been running a marathon and he hadn't done anything except stare at the computer. He fell asleep grimly wondering how much time he had left.

A few hours later he came awake, barely making it to the bathroom in time to heave his guts out. Weak, spent, and lightheaded, he became aware that Heero was watching him. 

"You're ill." that would be Heero. 

_No **duh** Sherlock!_ Duo thought furiously to himself. _There goes plan A._

"Go... away." he managed. He really wanted some peace and quiet to curl up into a ball of misery about now. On the street you had to be tough or you didn't last. If you weren't tough you faked it till you made it, or you lost. Never show weakness, never let your guard down.

"Not a chance." Heero told him coolly.

"If I gave you that explanation you wanted, would you go?" Duo really hated this weakness, and having Heero there only made it worse. He was sure_ this_ would never happen to the Perfect Soldier! A long moment of quiet.

"Yes." _Thank God!_ Duo breathed. Pushing himself up a bit he looked up.

"Ok, short version. Deuce, that blond guy, stole something from someone named Piper. This Piper happens to be the head of an organization called Blitzkrieg. Piper wants it back. Deuce passed it to me when I wasn't aware of it. I found it and stored it. Piper thinks Deuce has it, Deuce thinks I got it. Deuce, being the brother of an old friend of mine, got in trouble. I helped him out but got caught. Piper wanted me to find Deuce. That's where Rip came in at. So I'm gonna take Piper down. Before he can make anymore attacks on Hilde, before...before he goes after anyone else."

Duo finished up wearily, pulling his legs around so he was seated instead of leaning on his arms.

Heero looked down at Duo in impassive appraisal. Then he nodded once. Duo looked up just in time to see Heero's hand blur. Heero caught Duo as he slumped and pulled him up and over his shoulder.

"But I never said I'd go without you Duo." with that, Heero headed out the bathroom door. Detouring to the bedroom, he grabbed the duffel that was conveniently packed and ready to go. He maneuvered Duo and duffel through the door and to what was apparently Rip's car, a nice sky blue antique Mustang, where he dumped Duo into the passenger seat; belting him in after fishing the keys from his pocket. He made one more trip back after Rip, dumping him unceremoniously into the back. Rip hadn't come around yet. Duo was going to have help wether he liked it or not. Starting the car he headed back to the Darlien estate.

He was halfway there when Duo finally started to come around. Heero glanced over, hearing a muffled grunt as Duo groggily straightened up. In the dusk of the evening, you couldn't see it anymore but Heero had seen the flush of fever in Duo's face.

"I _swear_ you must enjoy knocking me out Heero." Duo finally spoke up. He was calm, too calm. It wasn't in Duo's nature to be calm about things like that. Heero definitely didn't like this new Duo. 

"If you weren't such a baka, I wouldn't have too." he spoke without looking over at Duo. There was the snap of a seatbelt releasing. He finally looked over to find Duo watching him with that unidentifiable look on his face.

"I said I wasn't going back. Heero, if you don't stop this car _right now_ I'm going to bail and I don't care if it _is_ going over 60." Duo put his hand on his door latch. 

Heero slammed on the brakes and pulled over. Coming to a stop he slapped the automatic locks on. Duo raised his hand to punch his door lock open only to find himself being cornered by Heero against the seat.

"Just what is it you're not telling me Duo? This isn't like you. You're about the least suicidal one of us so why now are you all of sudden pulling this lone wolf stunt? You're not making sense. You'd get a lot farther a lot faster if you'd stop avoiding everyone." Heero snapped. Duo glared at him, his hand trapped by Heero's.

"Well, when you've only got two weeks, give or take a few days, to live things change so live with it Heero. _I_ am!" with that Duo punched the lock open and pulled on the door handle.

Heero grabbed Duo's shirt front and pulled him around so they were face to face.

"_What are you talking about?_" 

Duo's eyes blazed into his."I'm saying that they used an experimental drug on me. I don't have a chance. Everyone was better off believing me missing. So if you'll just kindly remove your hands I have a job to do. If I'm going down, I'm taking that bastard with me!" Duo slapped Heero's hands loose and Heero let go out of sheer shock. Opening the door, Duo had one leg out when Heero grabbed his arm. Duo looked back in angry exasperation... _how many times do we have to go through this?_

"_Wait_! Duo, they gave you something without an antidote?!" Heero said sharply.

"Oh, there's a cure all right. And it doesn't do me one lick of good. You see, I had a run in with this stuff once before and I nearly died. Isn't it ironic, I'm allergic to the only thing that could save me?" Duo said with vast sarcasm. He tugged his arm trying to free it only Heero wasn't having any.

"_All right_, but all that aside you're wrong you know! If you don't go back they'll always wonder what happened. Don't you think Hilde has the right to be with you till the end? To _know_? I thought you loved each other." Heero growled insistently. Duo stared at him angrily.

"That's a low blow Heero! Maybe this isn't about Hilde anymore, **_maybe it's about me!_**_ I was gonna ask her to go steady you know....I was gonna get a ring while I was on Earth and when I got back I was gonna ask her....why am I...YOU S.O.B.!! IF YOU'RE SO CONCERNED ABOUT HILDE THEN WHY DON'T **YOU** MARRY HER? ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS WAIT A COUPLE OF WEEKS!!" _ Duo finally got his arm free and started to storm off in a rage. _What a jerk, and I thought he was a **friend!!** Guess I guessed wrong, I never knew for sure._

__Heero scrambled belatedly out of the car and moved fast to catch up.

"Duo..." he started.

"_Don't even start!_" Duo snarled. Heero moved in front of him and planted himself in front of Duo who just moved around him and kept on going.

"I said once that dying hurts like hell. It does. If not the person who's dying, than the ones around that will miss him once he's gone. Don't do this alone." Heero threw after him.

"Oh, don't you know? I already know _all about _**that**part, Heero you have _no idea!!_ Oh, and watch out Heero, this is starting to sound suspiciously personal here, you wouldn't want your reputation to slip!!!" Duo growled spitefully over his shoulder. Heero, fed up, shot back.

"Well, maybe it is! What do you want me to say? That you're my friend? That I don't want you to die? That _I _haven't given up that maybe someone can find a cure even if you have?"

Duo faltered to a stop out of pure disbelief at what he was hearing. Heero clenched his fists in sheer frustration. Relena was _sooo_ not going to like this.

"All right! Have it your way. Crawl into a corner and die! Though if you're determined to die you could have done a better job of it during the war!!" Heero started back to the car.

Noticing that Duo hadn't moved he sighed internally and gave it one last go.

"Anything you want me to tell Hilde? .....Or do you have the guts to do it yourself?" he watched Duo out of the corner of his eye. Duo didn't move for a long moment, then his shoulders slumped. Without a word, he turned and started moving towards the car and Heero. Seeing him start to follow, Heero went on ahead and started the car; waiting for him.

Duo reached the car and climbed in slowly, slamming the door and leaning against it to look out the window. He was watching the stars. There was dead silence as Heero traveled the last distance to the Darlien Estate and pulled up to the garage. Just as Heero had his hand on his door latch, Duo finally spoke in a soft voice he had to strain to hear.

"You said....I... I won't be alone...." 

"My word Duo." Heero heard Duo sigh than the sound of his door releasing. So he followed suit.

  
  


When the others had made it home, Relena and Hilde promptly went off to get Hilde squared away with her new wardrobe while Trowa took the case into the living room. Quatre had a phone call to make. He needed to get hold of Wufei. Wufei would have better access to better resources for dealing with whatever it was they'd stumbled on.

Finally getting through to him, Quatre quickly explained what they had found. Wufei had suggested that he come and fetch the mysterious case when Quatre said bluntly that he didn't think it was safe to let it out of their sight. Coming to an agreement, Quatre hung up still chuckling over Wufei's last comment that _it had **better** not turn out to be **aspirin**! _and went hunting for Trowa. He found Trowa, Relena and Hilde all gazing at the news in various degrees of shock and outrage. His own eyes went wide as he absorbed just what the announcer was saying.

"_...criminal activities on the rise as police are searching for two suspects wanted for assault and battery, trafficking in illegal substances and suspicion of arson and fraud. These two young men are believed to be on Earth and Police are asking anyone who has seen them to contact proper authorities immediately. These young men are believed to be armed and dangerous and caution is advised. In further breaking news, today the shuttle Galaxy was found......" _

  
  


There was a moment of complete silence as two fuzzy images of Duo and that McArthur guy flickered briefly before their eyes, than was shunted aside in favor of the shuttle story. 

Hilde snarled under her breath and clenched her fists wanting dearly to pound something in her fury. Relena turned angrily as well.

"I don't believe this! They're trying to pin all that on _him_? They've made a mistake!! I'm going to see what is behind all this!!!" and headed for the nearest phone. 

Quatre and Trowa exchanged troubled glances. This mess was just getting worse.

Before Relena could pick up on the phone it chimed. Relena stabbed the button and Jase's face popped up.

"Ms Darlien? Good, I finally got you! If you don't mind I _really_ need to speak with Master Quatre as soon as possible....ah!" as Quatre popped into view. Relena moved aside to let him in. 

"What is it Jase?!" Quatre asked sharply. Jase looked tired and troubled.

"Have you seen the newscast, Quatre?" he asked.

"Yes, I have, just now..." 

"It's even worse than that. I was keeping an eye on that H&D Salvage place..."

"Yes...?!"

"There's been a condemnation notice slapped on it, a court order has been issued to have all business accounts looked into and all funds have been frozen. The reason being cited is suspicion of insurance fraud, arson and the fact that no one has been able to get hold of either of the owners." Jase informed him evenly.

"**_WHAT?!!!"_**__ Quatre cried out in anger, eyes flashing.

"It's as if it happened overnight, I had no forewarning! I've been trying to get a fix on the responsible party but I have hit nothing but dead ends and blocks Quatre. The business has essentially been shut down." Jase bowed in remorse.

"I'm terribly sorry that I wasn't able to prevent this Quatre sama!" he bowed again.

"There is one other thing too Quatre sama. Whoever is doing this knows you're involved somehow and has not only been checking into your financial status but has been trying to undermine your influence in several key areas. So far the majority of these attacks have been along the line of rumors that you were involved somehow with the fire. Those that know you Quatre sama are holding steady. Unfortunately, several malcontents are using this as an excuse to stir up trouble. This has also put a hold on negotiations with Hasaku Corporation. I have assured them that you were _not_ involved and that you would like to speak with them as soon as you have dealt with the emergency you are covering now. But whoever these people are...I have been unable to find any one person responsible for this mess." Jase seemed troubled by this.

"Well, Jase, whoever pulled _that _little stunt had better be ready for a battle." Quatre snapped in anger. He wasn't going to let this slide! 

"This is what you do..." and Jase listened and nodded.

After Quatre hung up, he turned to face the others. Hilde was furious, plain and simple.

"Don't worry Hilde! We _will_ find out what's going on and this _won't _be the last word!!"

Quatre looked at her darkly but with reassurance. 

Hilde nodded briefly. This was getting to be too much. And as much as she hated letting Quatre handle everything, she knew that she simply couldn't match Quatre's resources....and they still didn't know what had happened to Duo! And now Quatre was being threatened.....

Relena turned back to the phone with regal fury.

"My turn now! Hmmm... on second thought...I think something a little more official is in line. Cheer up Hilde, whoever is doing this can't possibly win with us on your side and Quatre _knows_ what he's doing!" with that, Relena glided off, grim determination on her face, to freshen up and make a late afternoon call on some important people. 

Trowa had gone back to staring in thoughtful distaste at the news even though he really wasn't paying attention to it. He didn't like this turn of events. Quatre was under attack now, who would be next?

  
  
  
  


It was early afternoon the next day when Wufei finally showed up and to everyone's surprise he'd brought two people with him. Sally and someone called Newman Miller. Miller was supposed to be a poison and toxin expert and was well versed in illegal substances. He was, Sally claimed, one of the best in his field. A research chemist who, although he'd studied bioweapons and it's history, was more interested in research on natural toxins and their affect on ancient people.

Greeting them warmly, Relena welcomed them and brought them up to date while she led them to the large living room. There she showed them the case of vials. The others gathered together while Sally and Miller studied it intently and started conversing back and forth with technical terms till the others started to focus more on Wufei.

Trowa leaned up against the wall next to Wufei and asked, "What made you bring them along? I thought you were going to come, fetch the case, and take it back with you?"

"It was Sally's idea. Sally wanted to come. Said since I'd wasted a perfectly good mission that she'd worked hard to get from Lady Une that she was going to come and see what was going on. Where she got this friend of hers I have no idea." Wufei grunted. He didn't have a very high opinion of this Miller. Trowa grinned a bit to himself. It seemed as if this was the rule rather than the exception with Wufei. 

Then Miller had dug a mini lab out from somewhere and set about inspecting the vials more thoroughly.

Quatre standing next to Trowa, looked over to where Hilde was watching the whole thing with a distant look on her face from a corner of the huge sofa.

"Say, don't you think Heero is taking an awful long time getting back? He must have found something...." Quatre said to the other two. 

Wufei grunted. Trowa nodded in agreement. It wasn't a half hour later that Quatre heard the front door open and shut. Wufei was listening to Sally and Miller argue, Hilde had fallen into a light doze, while Relena had gone off to get drinks for everyone.

So when they heard the crash of breaking glass and a muffled cry from Relena, they all snapped alert and moved for the doorway as one, with the exception of Sally, Miller and Wufei. 

That's when a tired Heero came in with a bright eyed Relena tagging along behind a third person they had begun to wonder if they would ever see again!

**_"DUO!!!"_**__ Quatre cried out joyfully, starting towards him. Duo raised a hand to acknowledge him but barely had time to open his mouth when a slim black haired girl flung herself at him to wrap her arms around him tightly in a hug.

"_DUO!!_ I _was sooo worried, you were gone and no one heard anything from you and **just where have you BEEN?!!!**_" Hilde's voice was getting higher and louder. Duo winced.

"Long story babe, _do you mind...I'd like to...live to see... another day...." _ Duo couldn't breath from Hilde's tight hug. Then Quatre was there, a wide grin on his face while Relena and Trowa hung back a bit. Relena eyes were sparkling and Trowa looked pleased in spite of himself, his mouth curling at the corners in a faint smile. Wufei's face hadn't changed much but his stone face had softened slightly at sight of his comrade. 

For just one moment Duo's eyes met Heero's and there seemed to be some message passing back and forth between the two. 

"_Duo! _We knew something was up when Heero didn't come back..." Quatre was still grinning in delight but his eyes were taking on a look of hidden concern. His space heart was acting up and his friend's looks just backed it up. Duo looked pale, with a half healed scar mostly hidden under his bangs and a bandage on his hand that looked ragged. And was that a fever flush on his face? He wasn't moving freely either, like he had a number of bruises and was trying to hide them. And then there was that odd look in his friend's eyes.

Quatre looked back at Sally who was looking their way with a frown of concern on her face but as she was presently holding a couple of tools for Miller and was unable to move. Her eyes met his though and as she nodded he knew she was already checking Duo out and noticing the same things as he had.

Then, as Relena left to quickly clean up the drinks she had dropped and fetch some fresh; Hilde broke free and threw her arms around one startled ex-Wing pilot. Before he could free himself, Hilde had given him a quick peck on the cheek and whispered,

"_Thanks for bringing him back Heero_!" with that she turned back to her present object of affection, and at the moment, provocation. Heero looked distinctly relieved to be out of the embrace. 

That's when Duo saw belatedly the case of vials that Sally and the strange man were working over. With a growl, he shook Hilde off and started determinedly over to them.

"What are you doing?!" he snapped moving forward and snatching the case that now only held four vials from Sally Po's hand. She looked startled. The man with her looked up indignantly.

"What does it look like? Would you please be careful with that? In fact would you mind taking your hands off? We don't know what it is yet and it could be dangerous!" the man said in annoyance. Duo started to seethe.

"Seeing as how you _got it from me_ I think you should just shut up, put things _back_ the way they were and dump the whole lot as soon as possible where it can't possibly hurt anyone else!!!" Duo said a bit viciously, leaning over him intimidatingly. The man started back in surprise.

"So you know what it is?" Sally asked calmly. 

"So it _was_ you sent me that key!" Quatre exclaimed.

"Did I say that?!" Duo snapped at Sally. His nerves felt frazzled and he was beginning to feel really sick to his stomach. And that was _aside_ all the other things that didn't feel so good. But he _had_ to make sure no one else messed with the stuff.

Heero moved up while Hilde stood there, stunned at this new Duo, looking from Duo to Sally and back again. 

"Duo, you've had a long day, why don't you get some sleep and I'll take care of things down here?" Heero spoke none too soon. Duo turned on him with a snarl and glared at him but it had it's usual affect on Heero, that is, absolutely none. Then the anger in his eyes slowly disappeared and he ran a hand wearily through his bangs, absently avoiding the scar that showed for a moment through his hair.

"All right." he mumbled. "Just...don't let anyone touch it." 

Heero nodded, took the case from him, turned him around and pushed him towards the door. 

Sally started to open her mouth but when Heero threw her a look that said very plainly, _later! _she shut it again. She trusted Heero to know what was serious and what was not.

Hilde just stood there looking slightly hurt and bewildered. Relena moved up next to Hilde and put a soothing arm around the girl's shoulders.

The minute they were out the door, Wufei looked at Quatre who looked back. Then they both looked at Trowa who just looked back blankly. They looked at Quatre again. He looked back and shook his head, a troubled expression on his face. His space heart wasn't helping him on this one.

"Can't help you." Quatre said regretfully.

"Then I guess we wait." Wufei frowned down at the floor. Maybe his trip here wasn't wasted. And from the looks of Maxwell, bringing Sally Po along looking better and better.

Sally looked thoughtful. Heero seemed to be taking an awful long time coming back.

Finally, the door opened and Heero entered. Everyone's gaze landed on him and a brief look of unease passed over his features only for his face to fall back into it's habitual blankness.

"First things first. Sally, I want you to get ready to do a complete physical and whatever tests you think you'll need on Duo when he wakes up. Apparently, we are dealing with two different solutions here. The one we have is called PSD23, the other is called PC11. They are both very dangerous and the PSD23, at least, is highly unstable." Heero could tell the name didn't mean a thing to Sally but the man at the table sucked in his breath, horror in his eyes.

As the implications of what he was saying struck them, Hilde clutched at Relena's hand so tight as to leave bruises. Relena didn't even notice, her attention being firmly fixed on Heero. Trowa's mouth thinned down while Quatre looked perplexed and worried. Wufei's eyes went dark with disgust. Bioweapons were a coward's way of fighting.

Sally, having noticed the man's reaction, turned and pinned him under her intent gaze.

"Obviously you know something about it Miller, so spill." she said brusquely. The man shook his head and turned to Heero.

"You're saying you have reason to believe he was injected with one or both of these?" he asked heavily. Heero nodded.

"The PSD23 to be exact. Duo knew exactly what it was. He thinks he's got about two weeks to live." he said calmly, looking at the man intently. Miller shook his head, frowning.

"He must be from L2. This is _not _good!" Miller muttered to himself. Hilde had paled to white but was trying hard to stand strong. _TWO WEEKS?_

Wufei pushed himself off the wall and walked up to Miller. 

"Look, Miller, you're supposed to be the best in your field. So will you start doing your job?!" he growled. Quatre nodded sternly dismay still lingering in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, there isn't much I can _do_!"Miller said glumly.

"You did say the other is PC11, if he has some of that as well, we _could _try that...." Heero started shaking his head at that. 

"Duo says he doesn't have it. He also said it wouldn't do him any good as he's violently allergic to the PC11. Apparently he's had a run in once before though he didn't give me any details." 

Miller spread his hands.

"Then that's that. There isn't anything I can do for the young man." he said dismissively.

"What are you saying? There's _always _something you can try!" Sally snapped determinedly. Miller shook his head defensively.

"You don't understand Sally, this stuff is highly unstable, highly unpredictable and the creator himself ended up declaring it to be too dangerous to mess with. It's a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease! It's very _nature_ makes it impossible to deal with it!" Miller growled back in frustration.

"There's _got _to be _something_ we can try! So why don't you and me just sit down and you start going over the basics with me and if it means _outhinking_ the inventor than that's what we'll do, do you understand me?!" Sally growled. Miller nodded in resignation. Looked like he was up in another all-nighter or three with Major Po again. They got to work.

Heero watched them a moment and then turned to the others who were still waiting for an explanation. He wished he had a better one to give them. Duo had been too out of it to give him much more than basic information on the vials. Oh, yeah, there was that Rip fellow out in the hall....he might be worth something. But in Heero's estimation, the man would be strong to resist interrogation. Heero didn't think that they'd get him to talk real soon and time was what they didn't have.

  
  
  
  


The man outside silently seethed in cold frustration. He'd been trying to get a fix on his target _all day_ and hadn't managed it. The girl was _constantly_ surrounded by people!! And things had gone from bad to worse, as he'd seen that long-haired nut with someone he'd recognized as another Gundam pilot and a third person tied up that he couldn't identify through his night vision scope. 

And security here was a _pain!_ It was time for him to leave, he had a report to make. He wasn't one to leave a job undone but the boss needed to know what was going on. Mr Piper was _not_ going to like this!!!


	6. What Next?

**WHAT NEXT?**

**CHAPTER 6**

  
  


Duo awoke the next morning, feeling as if he'd been used for a punching bag. Well, he _had_ been used for a punching bag but this was different. His head was clear and his stomach was at least under control which was a good thing considering that his sleep had been interrupted several times during the night. But with the lessening of his internal ill feeling came an increase in his outward. He felt much the same as the day after the beating. It didn't help a bit when Hilde popped in to check on him shortly and finding him awake, promptly went after Sally Po. He _really _didn't like needles. _Who does?_

Sally entered shortly and proceeded to give him a complete physical after much protesting on his part. He shut up for a whole five minutes when she threatened to fetch Heero to hold him down if he didn't cooperate. He was beginning to understand how she got on with Wufei so well. She just refused to acknowledge defeat. It wasn't in her vocabulary, period!! 

"Aaahhh! Are you _done _yet? Sheesh, where do you keep that thing? In the freezer? What'd you do, pop it in the moment Hilde told you I was awak.....Gaaahhh!!!" Duo yelped.

"Ooohhh, no you don't, not in _my _veins, you're a bloody _vampire_ is what! You couldn't have gotten anything bigger?!" with vast sarcasm. 

Sally Po paused, hypodermic in hand and glared at him.

"Duo, if you _don't _shut your mouth this _instant_ I _will_ find the _biggest _needle in my kit... I'm _trying _to save your life so will you show just a _little_ _cooperation here?!_" she glared at him furiously which soon softened as she saw the look on his face.

He turned to grab up his shirt. Slipping it on, he silently walked past Sally giving her a wide detour. He ran into Mt Heero at the door. With Mt Wufei right behind him. With Piedmont Hilde right behind _him_.

"Shall we do this the easy way or the hard way?" Wufei asked dryly. Duo backed up uneasily.

"Uhh...this is a conspiracy isn't it? 'Today would be a good day to gang up on Duo' right? Although I never thought _you'd _be in on this Hilde!" Duo threw a betrayed glance at her. 

"She's the one who came and _got _us, Duo." Wufei again. 

_Why is he even here? It's not like we're buddies or anything!! _Duo thought resentfully. He threw a glance at the window but before he could take action, Heero had slid around him to block that avenue of escape while Wufei planted himself firmly in the doorway.

"Guys..." Duo started.

"You're making this much worse than it has to be Duo. We're not leaving till Sally has everything she wants. I am _not_ going to waste my good vacation here by having you die on us." Wufei stared at him implacably. 

_What was **that** supposed to mean?!_ Duo thought to himself furiously. _I'm a waste of time am I?_ That's when Sally attacked, well, grabbed his arm and started swabbing away. Duo gave in to the inevitable. He was _not _going to get his hopes up. But if he wasn't going to hope, it was clear that the others weren't giving up. This was getting him nowhere, he had a mission. 

Silently rolling his sleeves down when Sally was done with him, which included a fresh bandage for his fast healing hand, he was only half listening to her advice to eat a good meal while he started making plans. He needed more explosives. Besides, he hadn't been able to eat anything and keep it down for over a day now.

  
  


Avoiding the living room which had been converted into a lab with more equipment brought in, he made the den his war room. Having already had a brief session with Heero and the others to pool their knowledge, Duo was done talking and wanted some action. 

Unusually quiet for him he started pulling out the duffel bag and taking inventory. He had to admit Rip knew his guns. But he was going to need more by way of explosives. After all, turn about was fair play. They level his place he levels theirs...if you can't take it, don't dish it out. 

Heero entered just then, with a package in his hands. CN-4, good... _wait a minute_...just _where_ was he _keeping _this stuff?

"Do you have a plan?" Heero asked Duo. He handed the package to Duo who winced when he reached for it. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

"Yep. Do what I do best. Sneak in, demolish the place, make sure I got the head cockroach, and run like a bat out of hell." Duo busied himself taking his chosen weapon apart and putting it back together again. He also had a sniper rifle laying next to him. He hadn't decided yet if he would take it.

"Then I'm going along." Heero said without inflection.

"As am I." Quatre spoke up from the doorway. 

Trowa cleared his throat, "I'm going too. Wufei is going to stand guard here."

Duo looked up, brows drawn together. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something when his gaze met Heero's. 

"But you don't even know..." he started then trailed off.

"That's true, Rip isn't talking." Wufei admitted from behind Quatre who moved aside to let him in. _And you aren't telling everything either...though you don't lie_. Wufei finished in his mind. None of them knew just exactly what had happened between Duo and this Piper but whatever it was, it had become close up and personal.

"Doesn't make a difference. Bioweapons are as bad as Mobile Dolls killing guilty and innocent alike. We took a look at that disk you had, Duo. As of now you're all working for the Preventers and you're mission is to clean this mess up. Well, all but you Duo, you're wanted right now but we're working on that. Puts you on kind of a suspended employment for the moment." Wufei leaned against the wall. Duo shrugged and nodded.

"If I see that man, I'm not holding back." Duo said flatly.

"Did we ask you too?" Trowa said simply. 

Duo grinned his old grin briefly. _I shall return!_ The thought reminded him suddenly that he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Deuce as he'd expected. Ah, well, he'd show sooner or later, Duo was sure of it. 

"If I'm a Preventer than I want more explosives...._lots _of it!" he grinned again Shinigami was back in action!

Wufei rolled his eyes but pushed off the wall. He'd wanted to go but Sally had asked that he stay. Wufei, knowing Duo, had already started working on that request. Duo would get his explosives and plenty of them.

Hilde poked her head in the door.

"Duo, Sally said you should eat and I _know _you haven't been to the kitchen so I brought you something." she said brightly. There was a brittle undertone to her voice and Duo caught it but as he looked at the tray Hilde had produced he could feel the nausea rising.

"Don't mind us Duo we all ate already. Go right ahead!" Quatre smiled at him as Wufei prepared to go after the nearly forgotten bike

. Duo threw Quatre a dirty look, _you gotta be so helpful dontcha? _and then felt slightly ashamed. There was no way for Quatre to have known. Looking back to Hilde he sighed. She was trying to help, he would have to try and hope he could keep it down.

The others went about getting ready as Duo valiantly ate the scrambled eggs, fruit, toast and tea. The tea had been another of Wufei's ideas apparently. Hilde whisked it away when he was done and left him, Heero and Trowa in peace as Quatre had left to make a phone call.

Duo shoved the rifle aside, too long and clumsy, in favor of another smaller handgun and reached for some knives that had been laid out. _That one looks good..._ Duo settled one down the back of his neck inside his shirt and started looking for one that would slide inside his boot securely. He noticed that Trowa had paused to watch him as had Heero who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and Duo smirked back before he picked up one that looked like it would suit. _So what if I'm not in Catherine's class....I'm not so shabby! Lessee, guns, knives, now for explosives. Uhhgg...knew I shouldn't have eaten it, but if I hadn't she'd of worried. And I don't want them to think it's worse than it is._

__Wufei popped his head in looking troubled.

"Quatre and Relena managed to get all charges against Duo dropped. Now the party responsible is pinning everything on that McArthur. I don't know what's behind all this but it makes me uneasy." he informed them.

"Well, if they're out to get Deuce, they're not gonna get him." Duo said waving a hand at Wufei. "Don't worry about it. After tonight they'll have other things on their mind!"

"And then there's Quatre. That attack on him is a trail back to them and with the information Heero found, Quatre will be making things hot for them." Trowa added. 

"As you say. Well, I'm going to go pick up that bike that no one seems to be able to keep in their possession for longer than a day! Hilde wants to go with me and pick up some more clothes for you so we should be gone for a couple of hours." Wufei turned and left. Duo, having forgotten a last minute request, jumped up and chased after him. 

Wufei had already reached the outer door Hilde right behind him and just as he opened it, Duo called after him. Wufei turned back at Duo's yell just as a sharp _crack_ rang out. Wufei's face twisted slightly and he staggered as a red spot blossomed on his chest. Duo, eyes wide in shock, sprang forward barely in time to catch Wufei and hold him upright. Hilde, let out a surprised yelp from behind as yet another _crack_ echoed. Duo was already pulling Wufei back with him even as Heero and Trowa burst into the hall, guns in hand. 

Casting a quick glance at Hilde who was clutching at a bloody burn across her upper right arm, Duo thrust an unsteady Wufei at Quatre who came up behind him panting a bit from his dead run. 

Whipping about, outraged fury in his eyes, he snatched the sniper rifle that Trowa had been looking at and had conveniently neglected to put down. Turning about, Duo lunged through the door.

Rolling and scrambling, he made it behind the Preventers Jeep ducking a shot from the sniper that came too close for comfort only to realize Heero was right behind him and that Trowa was providing cover fire from a risky position just inside the door.

Leaning out opposite sides of the Jeep, Duo and Heero lay down fire at the snipers position. The sniper fired back, blowing the tires. Duo and Heero huddled back a moment then they both rolled out from behind and zig zagged towards better and closer cover with Trowa once again covering them. The sniper wasn't bad as Heero discovered a new hole in the material of his shirt. Heero shrugged. He had plenty of shirts. Then Relena's security started responding to the ruckus. Heero and Duo had gotten as close as they could and still maintain shelter. Taking turns, they kept the sniper pinned down in their crossfire with Relena's home guard laying down supporting fire. Duo thought he could see a patch of something through the foliage of the patch of shrubbery and trees, sighted and fired; hearing the crack of Heero's gun at the same time. Then all return fire ceased. Once convinced it was stopped for good, Duo and Heero both warily came out from behind their respective cover to check on the body . 

He was dead, two shots plainly fatal. 

Heero growled silently to himself in a fury, angry that once again they were without answers. Duo turned back wordlessly, anxious about Wufei now that the present emergency had been taken care of.

Back at the house they headed for Wufei's room where Sally was working on him, trying to get the bleeding to stop. Hilde and Relena were just outside the door, a clean new bandage on Hilde's arm. As Duo walked up, Hilde turned to him. Then she drew her arm back and gave him a full armed slap. Duo looked at her taken aback, one hand going to his cheek.

"What the heck was _that _for??!" Duo asked her in stunned bewilderment. She glared at him and then broadened it to include Heero.

"That's for pulling a stupid stunt like diving out the door like that and _you, _Heero! You're just as bad! You know, that's what Relena's got _security _for and did you ever think about using _windows??_! But _noo_, you had to use the very door that man had targeted! You two are a couple of **_idiots!!_**" Hilde didn't let him get a word in edgewise. Having had her say, she just stormed off before Duo could come up with anything by way of reply. Dragging his stare from the hall where Hilde had disappeared, he found both Heero and Relena looking at him.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"She's right." Relena said and walked off. Duo looked after her in shock again and looked warily at Heero.

"Not you too! Don't start with me, you were right behind me!" Duo griped. 

"Key phrase is 'right behind you'."Heero said blandly. 

Miffed, Duo turned just as Quatre came out wiping his hands. Quatre looked at the both of them grimly.

"Wufei needs a hospital but won't leave. It's not a bad as it could be though and Sally has it under control for now. The bullet punctured his lung but it's a clean wound and as long as it doesn't collapse or get infected Sally says it should be all right." Quatre grinned a bit. 

"And like Sally said, he's too stubborn for this to keep him down for long. Oh, and she got in touch with Lady Une who is sending some extra security from Preventer HQ. Like Zechs Merquise; I understand he's not happy with what happened." he added.

"Good." Heero grunted. Duo nodded a sharp affirmative.

"So is Wufei awake? I'd like to talk to him." Duo asked. 

Quatre shook his head,"Sally gave him a sedative. He's pretty out of it for now."

"Then give him a message for me when he wakes up. Tell him the one who did this is dead and the one that ordered it soon will be too." There was a light in Duo's eyes that sent a ripple down Quatre's spine. 

Quatre shot a glance at Heero who looked back steadily. Then as Duo moved away from the door, Heero nodded towards the room where Wufei lay.

"Take care of Wufei and the girls Quatre, at least till Zechs gets here. That sniper was after Hilde too. Check Relena's security, _how_ did that sniper get through? And Sally could use your assistance. Trowa and I will look after Duo. And then there's your business..." he stared at Quatre meaningfully. 

Quatre nodded quickly looking relieved. 

"I will."

"I know." and with that Heero followed Duo out the door.

Quatre turned back to Wufei's room. Sally looked up, relief on her face.

"Do you need anything?" he asked her. Sally shook her head.

"No, Miller is picking up the slack on that PSD23 while I patch Wufei up." she told him as she finished and started cleaning up.

Quatre was quiet for a long moment.

"Do you really think you can come up with something?" he asked her.

Sally looked up her face tired.

"I just don't know Quatre but I refuse to give up. Given enough time maybe we can and _that_ is where Duo comes in. You know, attitude has a lot more to do with health than you'd think. And normally I'd say that if anyone can do it, Duo would be the one but at the moment he's a walking dead man and until he decides to fight, his odds are way down. Our job is to give him a reason to try." Sally looked straight at Quatre who looked back, a hint of helpless dismay on his face.

"If Hilde doesn't give him something to fight for I don't know what we can do. He loves her." Quatre stated in downcast tones.

Sally looked at Quatre with a sharp nod.

"Then remind him of what he has. And if you can do that, and if we can give him a solid hope, maybe we can win this war!"

The two looked at each other and nodded at each other, Sally pushing her sleeves up as if readying for battle. They left after Sally checked Wufei one last time, neither of them really noticing the faint pained smile on Wufei's face.

  
  


Heero entered the war room to find Duo getting geared up.

"Planning to leave without us?" he asked him. Duo didn't pause as he tucked another grenade under his coat.

"I can't stop you." he said briefly, not glancing up. Heero narrowed his eyes.

"But you weren't going to bother telling us were you?" Trowa asked from behind Heero.

"Look, this is my fight. No one should have to fight but me." Duo straightened grimly, usual grin absent."You, Heero, have Relena to protect. You, Trowa, have people back at that circus who care about you. You don't belong here. Someone else could get hurt. Go back before it's you, Trowa. Shinigami is going to play tonight and he _doesn't_ need help!"

"So does that mean that Hilde doesn't enter in the picture at all?" a third voice threw in as Quatre entered. Duo almost flinched, then something passed over his face too fast for anyone to read.

"That's right, Quatre. She doesn't. I'm going to get his attention, then I'm taking him on and when I'm through with him he won't be hurting anyone else anymore." Duo said coolly.

"Except Hilde." Quatre added insistently getting a stubborn look on his face.

Duo just grinned at Quatre in a sort of cold amusement.

"You'll have to do better than that Quatre." and walked out snagging the Mustang's keys off the table on his way through.

Just outside the door, Duo's breakfast finally made itself known and with a hasty look backwards to make sure he was clear, he bolted for the closest bathroom where he proceeded to throw up until there was nothing left and then some.

Back in the den Quatre looked at the others in frustration.

"I just can't get through! Who'd have thought he could be so... so..."

"Determined." Trowa filled in calmly beginning to collect his weapons of choice. Duo's words had rolled over him like water off a duck. They were all Gundam Pilots and wether they liked it or not there was a sort of connection between the five. Hurt one and they _all _sat up and took notice. Or two as the case may be. 

Heero grabbed his duffel, already packed, and started for the car. The surrounding area had been searched and security had been doubled but Heero was still wary as he made his way to the Mustang with Trowa right behind him.

Reaching the car, they waited for several minutes before Duo showed. Heero had been about to go looking for him, faintly beginning to wonder if Duo was foolish enough to try giving them the slip when Duo finally came into view dangling the keys from his hand and looking a bit pale around the gills.

Heero settled back against the seat ignoring Trowa's gaze.

"Dying in battle is one thing, dying inch by inch is another." Trowa said quietly.

Heero shifted slightly looking briefly at Trowa silently acknowledging everything Trowa said and didn't say.

Duo slid into the drivers seat then and started the car without a glance at either of them. He had a soul to send to it's maker.

The guard at the research branch of Kale's Chemicals knew something was up. Security had been doubled and he had heard rumors that there had been an attempted break in just a day or so ago. Of course that was just a rumor but there _had_ been that busted window.

At any rate Dell Curran hadn't been hired for his good looks and tonight he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was up.

Keeping a wary eye out, he finished his rounds, reported in and started over again.

Passing Arima with his dog, he nodded but didn't bother to say anything. It would have been a waste of his breath. Arima never answered with anything but a grunt and that was if you were lucky. Sometimes Dell thought Arima spent too much time with his dogs.

Rounding the corner of the building, he thought he heard a growl from Arima's dog but he couldn't be sure as it cut off so quickly. Backtracking a bit, hand on his gun, he cautiously moved back around the corner to check on Arima. He never knew what hit him.

Duo caught the guard's body and lowered it carefully to the ground. Moving on around the building he paused in the shadows until Heero and Trowa showed themselves.

"This looks like a bit much security for just a civilian research plant for household chemicals." Duo observed in a hushed voice. Heero just grunted in agreement. Silently they split again this time heading off in different directions.

Once inside Duo started planting explosives in certain key places already picked out on his mental map. Moving along being careful to avoid tripping any alarms and staying within the shadows, he came to a hallway that looked vaguely familiar. And only a few rooms down was a pale, thin stip of light showing through the crack of a door.

With narrowed eyes, Duo laid his ear against the door to listen. Hearing a faint shuffling sound, he grinned to himself. His grin taking on a maniacal edge he carefully placed the next to last of his stash of explosives on the wall beside the door. Then taking a careful breath he pushed the door open and slipped inside.

His eyes widened slightly in some small surprise as he found himself facing the business end of Deuce's gun.

"You!" Deuce growled in surprise. 

"Yo, long time no see. Glad you made it out of Juke's in one piece." Duo grinned at him.

Deuce just glared at him, suspicion written allover his face.

"Sure I did. But what happened to _you_? Where have you been...? Plotting with Piper how to get my stash? Well, you can't have it!" Deuce cocked his gun.

"Why is it, I ask you, that _I'M_ always the one who gets a gun shoved in my face?" Duo asked mildly raising his hands and rolling his eyes.

"And I'm not _after_ your stash..." he added as an afterthought.

"Then what _are_ you doing here?" Deuce demanded.

Duo grinned again and reached back slowly to pull out his last bit of high grade explosive. Holding it up, he watched in amusement as Deuce paled when he realized what Duo was holding.

"That... that's..." Deuce stuttered.

"Yes, it is." 

"That's..."

"Are we articulate tonight or what? So how about you put the gun away and I'll put this back...."

Deuce reluctantly lowered his gun so Duo put the explosive back

"So what are you looking for?" Duo asked.

"Anything that I can use against **_him_**__." Deuce replied.

"And... uh... I thought maybe... well, I knew you'd gotten caught and I figured you'd use the PSD23 to bargain with so I was looking to take it back." he added watching Duo closely.

"Sorry to disappoint you. I still have it and no one else is getting it." Duo said crisply. 

"If that's all, I'd advise getting out of here cuz this place is about to go _boom_!" Duo suggested. Once he planted the last of his explosive this place was as good as gone. Besides, any information or files worth getting would be in Heero's possession by now.

Swinging his carry sack down off his shoulder, Duo was glad he was about done. His aches and pains were getting worse and the carry sack digging into his shoulder was becoming painful. Pulling the explosive back out, he attached it with a certain amount of glee to the familiar mahogany desk. Judging from the way Piper had seemed to like the desk so well, Duo figured this was adding insult to injury.

Standing up and slinging the carry sack over his shoulder, he pulled the detonator out noticing that Deuce had not moved.

"I gotta talk to you." Deuce said determinedly.

"Whatever but can it wait? I have a building to blow." Duo said carelessly checking his watch. The others should have theirs placed by now. 

"I _want_ that PSD23." Deuce said darkly. He had his gun lined up on Duo again. 

Duo shook his head. He wasn't feeling so good and it was feeling warmer by the minute.

"Don't make me repeat myself. It's not good for my health." Duo looked him in the eye.

"Look, if I can't have it neither will you! You got two choices. Give it to me or I shoot you down and bring the building down on your body." Deuce was getting hot under the collar.

Duo just looked at him coolly.

"You shoot me, you're chances of getting it are nil. And you're just a few days late with that threat Deuce. You're not getting it."

Deuce lunged at him in a fury but was brought up short by Heero's strong hand. With a snarl, Deuce twisted trying to get at him only to come nose first against Trowa's pistol. He went very still.

"Wondered what was taking you so long." Heero grunted.

"What shall we do with him? Isn't this the one that was with you at the shuttle port?" Trowa asked his gun not wavering a bit.

"Yep. You can turn him loose. I still have a building to blow...what he does is his problem." Duo said abruptly. He headed for the door. 

Swiftly taking Deuce's gun from him, Heero released him then followed Duo and Trowa who was keeping a wary eye on Deuce regardless.

Deuce hesitated a moment then took out after them.

"Hey! Duo! Wait, I still gotta talk to you!!" he yelled.

Duo's response was lost as Security finally made their presence known. A group of five guards turned the corner, saw them and opened fire. They ducked back around the corner they had just turned, Duo throwing a grenade around the corner for good measure and then Trowa blew the first of many explosives.

"This way!" Duo hissed and they lunged rolling and diving back across the hall to turn down a different corridor that only Duo knew where it led to.

"Give me my gun back!" Deuce hissed at Heero who ignored him.

"No reason to." Trowa said simply.

"You guys are crazy!" Deuce yelped as Heero pulled his automatic weapon around in response to yet another appearance of security and let loose.

"You just now noticed? I thought it was obvious." Heero dead panned keeping snug against the corner.

"Shit, Heero, don't **_do_**__ that!! I missed my **_shot_**_!_" Duo groused pulling back to reload. That done he paused gun in hand to lob another grenade down the hall.

"Don't blame it on me." Heero said flatly as he checked to see the guards scattering in response to the grenade. Trowa was firing steadily from the other side, Deuce ducked back behind Trowa for safety and kept a lookout the other way for more guards.

"Since **_when_**__ did you develop a sense of humor anyway?!" Duo demanded.

Another group of guards could be seen at the other end of their corridor. Heero pulled his detonator out and set off a second string of explosives and Duo could have sworn he saw a faint grin on his face. 

Yells and curses could be heard and throughout the building a few small blazes started. Then the building shook as part of the labs exploded. 

Taking advantage of the rattled security Duo lunged down the hall in the direction of the first set of guards that had been routed and dived down a connecting corridor, the others on his heels.

Duo was feeling more out of breath by the minute but was determined to see this through. Setting off the final set of explosives, he reached his goal, a large plate glass window overlooking a nicely manicured lawn. Shrubbery and trees just outside provided good cover and was conveniently only a few hundred yards from their hidden transportation which now included the bike left behind at Rip's apartment.

Heero took the lead blowing the window with a short burst from his automatic weapon before diving through all without missing a step and the others didn't hesitate to follow in spite of the glass flying everywhere.

Explosions rocked the building and what security they did see was more concerned with getting out of there than the four shadows amongst the trees.

Running through the trees, Duo was seeing spots by the time he reached the clearing where the Mustang and Kuzi were tucked out of sight. Staggering to the bike which he'd ridden up, a wave of vertigo swept over him and he could feel a spell of unexpected and unwanted dry heaves sweeping over him along with his vision trying to tunnel down to nothing.

Gasping for air, he fought for control even as his legs gave out from under him. Dimly he was aware of Deuce's voice from a long ways away demanding to know what was wrong even as hands caught and braced him.

Struggling to catch his breath, he managed to fight the dry heaves back to something close to normality. He was distantly aware of Heero curtly telling Deuce that Duo had been telling the simple truth about his threat coming too late and then there was silence.

Recovering enough that he thought he could stand, Duo shrugged free of the hands bracing him. Angry that his body had given out and that it had given out in front of Trowa and Heero, not to mention Deuce, he pulled himself to his feet using the bike to brace himself with.

Not looking directly at any of them, though he noticed to his surprise that it had been Trowa supporting him not Heero, he managed to get his leg over the saddle.

"Scoot. I'm driving."that _was_ Heero. Not feeling up to arguing, Duo scooted.

Back at the house, Duo walked in under his own power feeling drained and absolutely exhausted. He headed straight for his room ignoring Deuce when he started to call after him. Deuce was brought up short by Trowa's simple "Let him be."

Deuce wanted to argue but was getting the feeling that he was in over his head and as mild as Trowa seemed, Deuce wasn't going to underestimate him. Trowa had been with the others every step of the way.

Deuce had seen some quiet ones in his time that once they let loose, you ran for cover and he had the feeling that Trowa was such a one.

So tomorrow it would be. Then he watched as a young blond came up radiating concern. Sudden suspicion dawned on Deuce and he began to feel very uneasy. He started looking around half expecting a dark Chinese boy to pop up any moment.

_How could I be so blind?!_ He asked himself. If his suspicions were correct the blond would be Quatre Raberba Winner himself, head of Winner Enterprises and as rich as they come. Also one you didn't want to mess with.

Looking back to the group he almost jumped when he realized that they had him cornered against the wall. None of them looked happy. _I'm dead!_ he thought uneasily.

"Hi. I'm Quatre Raberba Winner. You're Deuce Kipling right?" Quatre asked politely.

_Well, when I'm right, I'm right!_ Deuce thought with dismay.

"Errr... yeah."Deuce mumbled. _Just how much do they know anyway?_

"You were with Duo at the shuttle port listed as Douglas McArthur." Heero stated flatly.

"Yeah, you know, ancient North American General...'I shall return'..." Deuce forced a tentative grin and when it wasn't returned he sighed, "Or maybe not."

"So how about you give us your side of this situation?" Quatre asked still polite... but then he could afford to be. Heero and Trowa more than made up for his congeniality with their intimidation factor.

Deuce scowled, a mulish expression on his face. He really didn't know any of these guys and was definitely _not_ ready to spill everything. So he hesitated frantically trying to decide how much he dare to hold back and how much Duo would have likely told them.

Heero grabbed his shirt and pushed him up against the wall and off his feet. Cold Prussian blue eyes bored into Deuce's blue ones with chill and deadly intent.

"We don't have time for games and we're not _asking_ you to tell us... you will one way or another. Duo is dying and I think you're as responsible as that Piper." Heero told him softly. The deadly undertone chilled Deuce's spine.

"As I understand it, you have a score to settle with this guy same as we do and it could only be to your advantage to work with us." Quatre threw in persuasively.

"We're going to take this guy down one way or another. At this rate, you'll miss your chance at revenge. You're a wanted man, how long do you think you can evade them and the authorities?" Trowa added.

"And what about Duo? I saw the telecast." Deuce mumbled. It was getting difficult to breath.... _now I understand what Duo was talking about....he **had **to be referring to this guy!_

__"We take care of our own." Quatre said simply. "And we knew he was innocent."

"All right! _All right!_ Let me down already, I'll talk!." Deuce managed to get out. Abruptly Heero let go of him and he hit the floor with a bit of a lurch but somehow managed to keep his feet. Smoothing his shirt, he glowered in a disgruntled fashion at the lot of them.

"How about we talk somewhere more comfortable?" Quatre asked already turning to head for the war room. As one body they moved towards the den, Deuce in the middle.

Once settled in they all looked at Deuce with varying degrees of expectancy, that is to say Quatre looked at him with expectancy. Trowa just gazed at him blankly while Heero had never let up on his chill stare. By now he'd figured out where he wanted to start and how much he figured he could safely say and _not _say so taking a deep breath, he prepared to make this good.

"Deuce Kipling is my real name, but my legal name is Douglas Kerring. Apparently, my blood parents were part of a rebel movement that was based primarily on L2 and were killed when we were very young. Somehow I got separated from my twin brother Solomon and ended up being adopted by a fairly well to do family. Then early on the war between the colonies and Earth, which my adoptive parents were involved in as well for the sake of the colonies, they were also killed. My father was killed right off but I was forced to watch as my mother was used for illegal experiments with bioweapons that were soon dropped in favor of the MS but only after she was left to die. I managed to get away mostly in one piece before they could get rid of me but I swore I'd find the ones responsible and take my revenge. 

After I was old enough, I started hunting and when I finally found the one responsible I also found to my surprise, information indicating that I was adopted. Piper being my first priority, I found the primary research center and infiltrated it long enough to find out he was again playing around with bioweapons.

I managed to get my hands on the case of PC11 and was gonna get it checked out. Piper never missed it, he was concentrating on it's counterpart, PSD23. Then one of the scientists started questioning the records I'd doctored on the PC11. That man won't be showing up anytime soon. On the verge of being discovered, I grabbed the PSD23 on my way out. That's when Piper started hunting me. Of course, I didn't know what I had until later and then I wasn't sure what to do with it. I mean, it's dangerous. I had some nice dreams though..." Deuce sighed.

Then he continued, "I needed to find out what it was and still keep a low profile and so I headed to L2 where I know some people that know me and would keep quiet. That just happened to be where my last known relative had died so I figured to see what I could find. That's when I met Duo.

I didn't know he was heading back to Earth on the same flight. I was sure I'd been followed although I'd lost my first tail and halfway back to Earth, I got the idea that if I planted the case on Duo even if I was caught I would have a better chance of talking my way out of it. They'd never suspect him. And I'd have a perfectly good reason for visiting him later...only it didn't quite work out like I thought it would. Duo....took me by surprise." Deuce shook his head with a reminiscent smile on his lips.

Heero grunted a glint of amusement in his eyes while Quatre chuckled openly. Trowa even had a faint grin on his face.

"I guess you know what happened then..." Deuce said unnecessarily. Quatre nodded and leaned forward to clasp his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees.

"After that I figured to get the case back from him so I told him to meet me at Juke's Bar & Grill. I waited for him there until he showed up only to find out that not only had he found the case but that I wasn't getting my hands on them till he had some answers." Deuce paused a bit shaking his head at the memory and then continued.

"At any rate, when he found out what it was he turned funny and told me flat out that he was going to dispose of it at the earliest opportunity. Things were getting tense but what I didn't know was that the bartender was a stool pigeon and had sold me out so before we could really get into it, those two from the shuttle port showed up.

They forced us to leave and were going to take us by car only one of them got careless and I got free. We started to run but when I looked back Duo wasn't anywhere around so I found a place to duck low for a while. It was only later I found out that Duo had been caught. I found him after a while and went to see what was what. He had one of Piper's watchdogs on him and I almost got caught. I was on the run for a bit there and that's when I became aware that you were looking for him too." Deuce was looking straight at Heero when he said that.

"So you were the one that gave me the address where they were keeping Duo." Heero stated flatly looking at him intently.

"Yep."Deuce grinned a little. "I mean he had _my _stash and I had no idea if he had dumped it or not but he helped me out at the shuttle port and I knew it would put a monkey wrench in Piper's plans so I went for it."

"Just a question but do you know what happened to Duo's hand? He didn't seem to want to tell us." Quatre asked curiously remembering the way Duo had avoided the question.

"That would have been Mohawk Man at Juke's. He was trying to make a point and pinned Duo's hand to the table with a knife." Deuce winced. Heero leaned back at that, no expression at all on his face while Trowa raised an eyebrow. Quatre cringed a bit.

"He's the same one that was making wisecracks about Duo's braid." Deuce added thoughtfully. At that, Heero raised his eyebrow while the other two looked at each other.

"He's dead." Quatre and Trowa said simultaneously. Deuce nodded judiciously. 

"I figured as much." he chuckled. He was beginning to like these guys. But there was something he really wanted to know..._should _he ask them? Oh, well.....

"So what _did _happen to Duo? I mean Piper obviously got hold of him but..." he trailed off. This time it was Quatre who answered.

"Evidently, you took their stash but they had kept a sample of the PSD23 separate." he informed Deuce flatly. 

Deuce was very still for a long moment as his face slowly lost color. Then Heero leaned forward and narrowed his eyes at Deuce.

"Which reminds me. Duo said you have the PC11. Some friends of ours are trying to come up with a solution and that PC11 could be the key. We're going to need it." he looked at Deuce with the knowledge that one way or another they _would _get it written all over his face.

Deuce slowly shook his head. He saw Heero tense as if to move and spoke up quickly.

"Even if I got if for you what would you do with it? Surely Duo told you what it's like. What do you expect to do with it? If they used _that_ on him, he's as good as dead." Deuce protested.

"We are going to find a cure." Heero said flatly as if there were no other possibilities.

"A cure..." Deuce repeated skeptically. He looked at the three sitting opposite him 

"That's right." Quatre said with a closed face.

"If he lives that long." Deuce said caustically. "All right, I'll get it for you. I can have it here by tomorrow noon."

"Anything else that would be helpful?" Quatre asked him with a nod of thanks.

"Haven't been able to pin the slick bastard down. I mean I can tell you what I saw but there's no _proof _except the PSD & PC11. But it's been shuttled around so much it can't be considered evidence anymore. And I didn't have leveling his lab as an option." Deuce said in frustration.

"That's were we come in. Tell us what you can and we _will_ dig this man out." Quatre said reassuringly. Then he looked at Heero.

"Did you find anything while you were there?" he asked. Heero shook his head.

"Nothing. It was like he said, there's no proof, no records, nothing. Except Deuce and Duo as eye witnesses maybe..." but he shook his head again and they all knew that if either saw Piper outside of legal arrest, Piper was as good as dead. 

Just then Sally Po poked her head in. She looked very, very tired.

"Just thought you all would want to know that Zechs and Noin have arrived and that Relena's cat just fell over dead. The milk was poisoned." 

"_WHAT?!"_ Heero snarled jumping to his feet; Quatre right behind him, shock on his face.

Deuce blinked rapidly in an effort to assimilate this new information while Trowa's face darkened.

"It was milk reserved in preparation for a tea that Relena was going to hold with a Commissioner or something. We still don't know how it was contaminated but we do know what the substance is and I believe we've managed to neutralize it." Sally sighed.

"Wufei's reaction was just as bad. Lady Une has also given orders that you five and the two girls be moved to HQ. She was afraid of something like this happening. Besides, if nothing else Miller and I will have everything we could possibly want including more personnel and a fully functional infirmary for Wufei." Sally added.

"That's twice!! How did they get through our security **_twice?!_**__" Heero demanded in a icily controlled fury. 

Sally shrugged and looked at Deuce. Quatre promptly shook his head.

"He's been with us the entire time. Not possible."Trowa asserted calmly.

"Then I don't know and I'm too tired to think at the moment." she told them.

"Where's Zechs?" Heero asked sharply. Sally moved aside in the doorway and pointed down the hall towards the kitchen. Heero left, Trowa right behind him leaving Quatre to settle with Deuce. Sally moved to go back to the makeshift lab.

"You look exhausted Sally." Quatre observed and with a faint smile he quoted, "You won't do anyone any good if you're too tired to function from lack of rest."

Sally glared at him in mock disgust but then smiled wearily. 

"I know... but if we can't pull this off... well there is such a thing as too _much_ sleep." she said cryptically shaking her head in discouragement before disappearing down the hall in the other direction.


	7. Living Life

**LIVING LIFE **

**CHAPTER 7**

  
  


Duo woke late the next day feeling as if he had just finished a full day of hard labor. It didn't help that Sally was already there and waiting for him so she could run more tests and draw more blood. 

Uncharacteristically silent and groggy on top of that, Duo finally realized something was going on from the bustle and the fact that his things had been packed and were sitting by the door ready to go.

"Oi! Sally, what's going on?" he demanded as he peered at her over his arm were she was intent on her syringe. She looked up at him, her eyes dark.

"We are moving to Preventer HQ as soon as Relena's done with...whatever she's doing. Things have been happening while you were being lazy." there was a faint twinkle in Sally's eye as she said this. Duo tilted his nose at her but too groggy to think of a good comeback reverted to his earlier question.

"So _what_ happened?" he persisted. Sally withdrew the syringe and carefully stowed it before turning to face him, swab in hand.

"Well, lets see... first Relena's cat died from poisoned milk which we couldn't figure out at first but was made clear when we discovered that our prisoner had escaped, then this morning Quatre got a call that a friend of his, a Jase Hollander, was involved in a hit & run and isn't expected to survive, and then there's Trowa. He got a call just now that there had been an attempt at kidnaping Catherine Bloom. That one failed when Catherine pinned the man to a tree and one of their strong arm men just happened to see what was going on and shoved her out of the way of the second man who was fixing to shoot her. The strong arm will recover but it shattered his arm and they're not sure if it'll heal right. Oh and then there's Wufei. When he heard about the cat he tried to get up and investigate and as of now he's irritated his wound to the point that it's developed an infection and is now sporting a bruise on his chin where I socked him for doing something so stupid. On the good side, apparently your friend Deuce has decided to join us and said he'd have that PC11 here by noon" she finished up checking each point off on her fingers.

Duo had looked taken aback until that last bit where he shrugged irritably. 

"Doesn't do me any good, _I_ can't use it." he mumbled as he pulled his undershirt back over his head. Sally looked at him with a slight expression of exasperation on her face.

"Well, and how do you know anyway?! Maybe you can't use _that_ but I'm hoping we can develop a derivative that you _can_ use." she retorted. He raised his head briefly to look her in the eye. His eyes went distant for a moment.

"I'd rather die like this than a brain dead, pathetic shell of a human being." he said quietly. Sally looked at him sharply. 

"So are you saying you _want_ to die?" she asked him a bit angrily.

"I've been ready ever since the war." he said curtly focusing back on Sally. She moved in close to him and got right in his face.

"So you're quitting just like that. Well, _Mr Maxwell_, thanks for wasting our time and our friendship. You know, nobody here _wants_ to see you die and everything we've done is a result of that! I, for one, am fighting so I won't have to miss your smile! I'm not even _starting_ on Hilde. And what are you doing? You're making it all into a joke. Piper's going down if you live and he's for _sure_ going down if you die! And the one thing that you could be doing that would help the most, is to fight this and what are you doing instead?! And you call yourself a Gundam pilot!!" Sally glared at Duo who was looking surprised at her vehemence.

Snatching her case, Sally stormed out the door slamming it behind her. Duo stayed where he was staring blankly at the door; only his white knuckles showing the signs of the tension within as he clutched his black shirt.

"Like as if it would make much difference anyway..." Duo finally muttered half heartedly under his breath as he finished dressing. Then angrily to himself, "What's she want? Me to get my hopes up and then kick the bucket in spite of it all?! I _told_ Heero I didn't want to come but would he listen? NO! So what's he do? Drag me off anyway... I had _plans! _I was gonna marry Hilde someday and maybe have a few kids after a while and then there's those ideas I had to improve the business and everything!!"

Fury welling up from somewhere so deep inside he couldn't stop it if he'd wanted to.

"_Well for your information **Ms Po** I don't believe in God and I don't believe in miracles!! I **haven't seen one yet, but I've had a close up acquaintance with death which is looking to get even closer! So what do you want from me?!!" **_ Nearly yelling in fury by the time he was done, he viciously punched the closest wall and then again, and again. At last, his rage spent, he slid down the wall and turned so he was sitting with his back to it. Numbly, he watched his hand drip blood from his knuckles as Sally's voice replayed in his mind...

"..._one thing that you could be doing that would help the most, is to fight this and what are you doing instead?! And you call yourself a Gundam pilot!!_"

"..._nobody here wants to see you die and everything we've done is a result of that!"_

_"...and I'm not even starting on Hilde"_

__There was a sigh from nearby.

"You going to keep on dripping blood on Relena's floor or are you going to do something about that hand?" it was Hilde's voice. 

She almost flinched when Duo looked up at her, his eyes scared her. She had been having a hard time dealing with everything and Duo had been so cold and... well... different. She'd never thought she'd be so lucky to have a boyfriend like him and then for this to happen... so she'd tried to distract herself by helping Relena in her efforts at unraveling the knot of warrants, laws, regulations surrounding Duo's problem with the shuttle and salvage yard. Soldiering was one thing, you knew you could die in battle but _this_, this was different. It was sickening. Hilde didn't understand how anyone could _think_ of doing battle this way. This wasn't battle; Wufei had been right. This was a cowards way.

Tearing her thoughts away from that line of thinking she looked down at Duo again. With another sigh she went looking for some bandages.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her finally as she smoothed the last bandage over his hand. 

"Sally said she didn't think you'd been getting enough to eat so I came to get you for a brunch." she told him.

"Forget it. It won't stay down anyway." he said gruffly pushing himself up. Hilde followed him up putting away the last bits of gauze that had spilled out of the First Aid kit.

"You should _try_ at least..." Hilde started but Duo cut her off.

"I said _forget _it! Food will just make me nauseous. I'll just get me some juice and be on my way! Aren't you supposed to be going with Relena?" he said sharply. Hilde bit her lip.

"Yes. How long has this been going on? Not being able to keep anything down I mean." Hilde asked stubbornly. Duo opened his mouth with a scowl on his face.

"Since the day I brought him back at least." came Heero's calm voice from the doorway, his eyes taking in everything from the new hole in the wall to the bandage on Duo's hand.

Duo glared at him having had the intention of brushing it off. Obviously that was out of the question now. He soon gave up though as he was too tired to keep it up and his hand was really beginning to throb. _Good job baka! Never get done pulling stupid stunts like..... hurting Hilde's feelings. sigh _He'd seen the flicker of hurt in her eyes when he'd growled at her.__

__"Well, if you can keep juice down than that's what you'll get. Just let me talk to Sally first, that is probably half your problem right now not getting enough nutrition to your body..." Hilde's voice soon disappeared after her down the hall as she briskly walked off to do what she could.

Heero picked up one of Duo's cases but left the other for Duo. Duo heaved a sigh and bent to pick it up. 

"Hey, next time someone asks me about something I'll just say 'ask Heero, he knows me better than I do'; didja have to 'help' me out?" he groused.

"Yes." Heero said shortly and left. Duo made a face at Heero's back than hurried to catch up with him. Walking down the hall in morose silence he absently rubbed his already aching shoulder muscles. It must be cloudy out it seemed rather dark even though there were lights on.

"Hey Heero, you remember that time I busted you out of that Hospital?" he asked suddenly.

"Of course." Heero grunted looking at Duo out of the corner of his eye.

"You know how you made 'em believe you were unconscious and all, you know, the bit with your breathing and heart rate...."

"Uh huh" 

"What do you call that? How'd you do that?" 

"I think you're thinking of Bio Feedback."

"Oh. Think I could learn it fast?"

"..."

"It was just a thought."

"Maybe. Better ask Sally about it."

"..."

"It might be worth a try Duo." 

Duo moaned,"I've had enough of Sally and her needles."

"..."

"It was _just an idea_."

"I'm not forcing you Duo."

"Maybe it'd work better if I got myself hypnotized..."

Heero's step faltered for a bare moment.

"...hypnotized..." he repeated in an odd, almost strangled tone of voice.

"What? It was just a thought, can't a guy think out loud anymore?" Duo scowled at Heero's suspiciously straight face.

"Mm mm"

"You're laughing at me!" Duo accused. Heero didn't answer but Duo saw a tick start up in Heero's cheek.

"You are....!" Duo was interrupted by Hilde who was jogging towards them with a big glass of some suspicious looking liquid in it. 

"Duo! I got something for ya! It's a special protein drink that Sally came up with. Here!" with that Hilde thrust the glass at him. It was either catch it or spill it on Relena's floor.

He caught it out of reflex, leaning away from it in instinctive revulsion at it's odd orange/brown color and texture. It _oozed_. (A.N. if you 've ever tried one you know what I'm talking about LOL) Hilde was already spinning away from them but as she trotted away she called back over her shoulder, "Heero, make sure he drinks it **_all_**__!!"

"Ninmyou Ryoukai." Heero said eyeing the drink with as much suspicion as Duo was.

"Heero, no _way _am I drinking this stuff!" Duo started to say, then backed up a step nervously as Heero leaned close.

"You heard her. All of it. Or do I have to get Trowa?"

"You wouldn't.... you _would_ wouldn't you?" Duo moaned. 

Heero nodded with a glimmer in his eye.

Duo glared at him which had it's usual affect....

Rolling his eyes Duo addressed the ceiling in a plaintive tone, "With friends like these who needs enemies? At least this way I'll die healthy; healthy and _orange!_"

"You're just stalling Duo. Drink it."

"OK! Ok! I'm drinking! I'm drinking!" 

Somehow Duo managed to get the entire glass down. It really wasn't that bad tasting, only the color and smell was odd. 

Satisfied, Heero nodded and started walking again. Duo paced alongside making faces at the emptied drink. Then they were at the door and there were people, helicopters, trucks and Wufei looking pale and ill making his way to one of choppers and protesting every step of the way with Sally ignoring everything he said. And somehow, after a while, they were on their way.

There had been a slight change in plans. The girls were going to be secretly shuffled off to a safe house with Zechs and Noin which was about the only way Heero would let Relena out from under his protection. Heero and Zechs had long formed a sort of wary mutual acknowledgment of each others abilities and though they had not completely settled their differences they were able to work and work well together burying such disagreements in the face of mutual goals. In the end they weren't so very different after all. Not were it counted anyway.

The boys would be going to the Preventers HQ and would be using that as their base of operations with Sally and Miller. Somewhere, Lady Une had found another doctor to help the two in their efforts.

Catherine had refused the offer of such protection so Lady Une had sent a few choice Preventers, hand picked by Trowa, to help out at the circus.

Quatre was torn between wanting to take a flying trip back to check on his friend and advisor Jase who, to everyone's surprise, was hanging on although barely, and staying with his friends and Duo. And then there was Winner Enterprises. 

In the end he stayed, making arrangements to be updated everyday on Jase and as for Winner Enterprises; his sisters were once again keeping everything steady.

Duo was on the bike, having instructions to take the Kuzi back, with Heero driving the Mustang. He had a suspicion that Heero actually liked the old car. Then his mind switched gears as he once again started thinking about what Sally had told him.

Coming to the road where everyone would split up and then split again making it hopefully impossible to track the girls (they'd even created a decoy), Duo spotted an ice cream stand off to the right. Having a sudden notion for a cone, even if he couldn't keep it down, he pulled over with Heero right behind him.

Duo could see Sally hesitating so he waved her on. Seeing that Heero was with him, she waved back and went on.

"What are you doing?" Heero asked in confusion as he climbed out of the car.

"Exactly what it looks like." Duo grinned at Heero's face and went over to order.

"I thought you couldn't keep anything down." Heero asked as he reluctantly followed.

"Doesn't keep it from tasting good on the way down, here Heero take one." Duo turned away from the window and thrust a cone at a surprised Heero. Taking a lick Duo moved back to his bike and paused to grin faintly at Heero.

"After all it may be the last time I get one." he said calmly. Heero frowned.

"You'd better eat that before it melts all over you. Don't want to get it all over the Mustangs upholstery." Duo advised. Heero absently took a lick as he studied Duo. Duo ignored him. _Makes up for that....goop. Whatever was in that glass. _Duo thought contentedly.

"So did you ask Sally?" Heero asked absently taking a bite out of the cone.

"Nah, she was busy with Wufei. I'll ask her about it later." Duo said without any expression on his face at all. 

Heero finally gave up trying to figure out what was going through Duo's head and realized he'd eaten a whole peanut butter topped cone while Duo was only half way through his Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl. Duo was taking his jolly good time about it. Heero leaned back against the Mustang and waited patiently for Duo to finish.

Done finally, Duo threw the paper towel in a trash canister and swung his foot over the saddle. Slipping the helmet on but leaving the visor up, he grinned at Heero.

"Ne, Heero, wanna race?" with that Duo flipped the visor down and kicking the bike to life he spun out of the parking lot. Heero growled to himself, had the car running and was after Duo in moments. 

Having a head start and faster acceleration, Duo had a good lead over Heero but the car had a nice if noisy motor in it, (Heero suspected it was custom made but didn't know enough about the antique Mustang to know for sure) and he was soon making up the difference.

Coming into the edge of town, Heero was only a little ways behind Duo when the traffic signal turned and an oncoming truck which had started to slow down for the light, sped up and moved on out into the intersection. Heero watched in surprise as Duo apparently, not planning to stop, headed right for the truck only slamming on brakes and laying rubber at the very last second nearly laying the bike over. He only just managed to avoid the truck as it also hit it's brakes and swerved. Fortunately, there was no other traffic at that intersection, so Duo put the bike in motion once more and went on totally ignoring the angry driver of the truck. 

Catching up to Duo as he was walking out of the rental Heero strode up to him, fell in step and demanded, "**_What the heck were you doing?! Trying to kill yourself?"_**__

Duo came to a stop with his hand on the door of the Mustang and looked up into Heero's angry eyes after a moment.

"I didn't see it."

"What do you _mean _you didn't see it?! Are you blind?" Heero growled yanking his own door open and sliding in. Duo followed suit.

"I thought the light turned in my favor. I've been having trouble seeing colors." Duo said quietly looking out his window. Heero looked at him fast. Then his mouth thinned and he turned back to the road.

"How long has _this_ been going on?" Heero asked flatly at last.

"Since this morning. Only it's not just colors." Duo added in a subdued voice. "I keep trying to turn on lights and sometimes I see spots."

Nothing more was said the rest of the trip.

When they arrived at Preventer HQ, Heero clamped onto Duo's wrist and hauled him directly for Sally Po totally ignoring Duo's protests that Sally couldn't do anything so why bother? Duo soon gave up protesting although Heero could hear him mumbling under his breath.

Getting directions to the new lab arranged specifically at Sally's request, Heero barged in to find that she was indeed there with Miller looking over some files.

"Oh there you are." Sally said looking up. Miller never paused from where he was poring over some old records of L2's PC11 tragedy. The information wasn't very thorough.

"His eyes." Heero said abruptly. "Check his eyes, something's wrong with them." 

"What?!" Sally said sharply, standing up abruptly and spilling the papers all over the floor. She sucked in a breath looking as tired as she was for a brief moment. Then it vanished and she moved to grab Duo's arm (he was still mumbling under his breath) and yanked him into an adjacent room for the second exam of the day.

Trowa soon joined them having heard that they were back. Heero tersely explained what had happened and they both settled down to wait.

A good 13 minutes later Sally popped her head out the door to ask for someone called Volscheck. Moments later a tall, spindly man with a scraggly beard came in and after a questioning look at Miller who jerked his thumb in the direction of the room, joined Sally.

They waited patiently for Sally to make another appearance and after another wait, Miller looked up in time for Sally to leave the room with Volscheck trailing her. Duo came out a moment later rolling his sleeves up to their customary height. He was still mumbling under his breath. Heero unconsciously found himself trying to hear what Duo was going on about but even with his above average hearing he could only catch one or two words.

"This isn't funny!" Sally said grimly. Volscheck nodded his agreement sublimely.

"What's going on?" Heero demanded. Miller kept his intense gaze on Sally.

"What's going on? I'll tell you. And I'll try to keep it simple. This PSD23 isn't just a toxin, it's an engineered hybrid artificial viral/toxin." Sally started running a frustrated hand through her hair, or at least as much of it as she could with it in it's two twisty braids.

"It's mutating isn't it?" Miller asked calmly.

"Yes! At first, Duo's body was treating like the intruder it is. That's why the dizziness, fever, and general ill feeling. Then it started attacking certain of his motor controls and muscles fibers. Specifically his lungs and the muscle bruising." Sally paused grimly.

"Now it's attacking his eyes. And there isn't much we can do about it. And the way it's going, we have no way of knowing what it's going to do next and next time it could target something directly life threatening like kidneys." Sally was struggling to suppress her frustration, fear and the beginnings of pessimism It was the last thing Duo needed. And just _what was he mumbling anyway?_ She thought in annoyance. He'd been mumbling off and on ever since he'd been drug in here by Heero and she couldn't catch a single word.

"Duo's body just can't keep up with it. It's already wearing him down in general so each attack is more and more effective." Sally finished up. She turned and glared at Duo.

"Will you quit with the mumbling??!! I don't understand a _word_ you're saying!!" she snapped at him. He glared back in equal annoyance. 

"That's the general idea and I was talking to myself!" he huffed and subsided.

"How did the cure work then if this stuff keeps changing?" Trowa spoke up.

"Basically, it stimulates the brain, virtually reroutes the synapses and neurons. Somehow it affects the immune system to counter the toxin though we can't figure out how exactly." Miller spoke up. Duo looked up from his now internalized monologue, his eyes burning with intensity.

"People only actually _use_ a very small percentage of their brain." Deuce's voice from the door broke in on their discussion. He moved into the room carrying a small case.

"The way it was told to me, it stimulates the brain forcing it into a sort of evolutionary growth. The fine details have been lost along with a great amount of the research done on it." he finished up. Handing it to Sally, he just nodded at her questioning glance. He glanced in amusement at Duo. She turned around and handed it to Miller.

"You could use a few levels of evolutionary improvement right?" he quipped at Duo. He wasn't expecting Duo's reaction.

Duo leaned forward fury in his eyes.

"Why don't you tell the rest of it?! Why don't you tell them that pretty soon you're so far above everyone else that you forget to eat, drink and sometimes even breath? Why don't you tell them how you forget everything that was once important to you? How you forget friends and family? How you are so advanced that you can't be bothered with things like a sister that needs treatment for burns? Or that you could care less you're sick and dying?" he hissed.

"And when you finally do die, because you can't live without this wonderful _drug_, you're so _advanced_ that you never hear your sister and friend tell you good bye?!!" with that Duo jerked upright, spun towards the door and quickly left. 

Deuce looked after him a surprised but thoughtful frown on his face. Volscheck grunted in amiable agreement, although no one quite knew what he was agreeing with.

"The unpredictability of the PSD23 has been the problem all along." Miller spoke up in a faintly 'I told you so' voice. Sally nodded unhappily as did Volscheck.

"So what if you tried a toxic cleanse?" Volscheck asked. There was dead silence for a long moment. Miller shook his head frowning in thought. Sally tapped her lower lip with her finger in a rhythm known only to herself.

"That drink I put together for him has a cleanser in it...amongst other things. But it is a delaying action, something to buy some time with and we all know it. Soon it won't have any effect at all on the PSD23, just like the other things that have been tried." Sally said absently.

"The engineered artificial viral part of the toxin protects it from that kind of thing at any rate." Miller threw in still frowning.

"Yes but didn't you say you saw some interesting results from that tea that your Chinese friend was feeding young Maxwell?" Volscheck asked

"Interesting but inconclusive." Sally replied mulling it over.

"And Wufei has a limited supply of it at any rate." she added.

"But if we could somehow suppress the viral part...." Miller started.

"You mean treat one side of it at a time?" Sally asked eyes gleaming.

"Is it even remotely possible?" Volscheck wondered out loud.

"New things pop up everyday! Of course it's _possible!_" Sally said briskly.

"I'll ask Wufei about his tea...like if he knows what's in it or can he get more and if I can test it and where it comes from..................." her voice trailed along after her as she left.

Heero and Trowa decided they could do best by getting out of the way. They left knowing that time was running out. And all any of them had to go on was the determination and grit of the team of doctors embodied in Sally Po. And they still had their part of the mess to clean up. It was time to make their next move on Piper.


	8. Counter Moves

****Hi, ya'll, glad you like my story so far... purring like a cat with cream knowing people like it makes it all worth while!! I always figured a good story should be able to draw a person in wether it was exactly their sort of story or not....I just never thought I'd be able to do it:):) It took me a long time to come up with and finish this in my head but I _do _have the end in mind and in sight by now if I can fit it in between work and moving. I _am_ trying very hard to keep it fairly in character though it's basically well after EW... like a story after the story. I can't tell how well I'm doing, sure wish I had Episode Zero and that little tag on story at the end.... sigh. Still, a good story is a good story so maybe mine's not so bad!!! :) Ja na.****

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**COUNTER MOVES**

**CHAPTER 8**

  
  


Duo scrubbed his eyes in a vain attempt to make them focus better. Going back to the computer screen in front of him, he almost jumped when the other three boys walked into the war room.

"....and so tracing those complaints back to that dummy corp dead ended. The man that made the complaints hasn't been heard from for days. I looked into it from Piper's side assuming that it was him. I can't get a connection. There are **_no_**__ records if you believe the records. And so far no one is talking, especially after our main witness disappeared like that." Quatre was telling them. "Heero, this guy is impossible! You _can't_ do business without records of _some _type, especially considering the type of business he's _in_!" 

"I know, I found the same thing when I hacked their records." Heero grunted in agreement moving towards Duo and the computer.

"At least Relena and I managed to get all the charges against Duo dropped. She's working on Deuce now." Quatre grumbled out loud in a disgruntled tone. He wasn't happy with his failure to pin this Piper down. As it was, they _still_ didn't know what had happened to what was possibly their only outside witness. Quatre figured him for dead.

Quatre perked up a bit though at his next thought .He'd received a call earlier that morning that Jase had begun improving though only a bit. Jase wasn't out of danger yet but his odds were improving for every day he hung on.

Trailing behind Heero and Trowa who were both collected around Duo, Quatre took a look at the computer.

"Ah. Another demolition party planned." he murmured.

"Not quite." Trowa said. "Lady Une had a bit of a time explaining the last expedition. If it weren't for the fact that Heero brought enough evidence from the labs to make it reasonable grounds for investigation, we could have been in some rather hot water."

"Heero did?" Quatre said in blank confusion. Somehow he'd missed this important piece of information.

Heero nodded,"Saw some suspicious supplies. But again, no concrete proof. Which begs the question of what kind of guy does experiments with no records? He's got to be hiding them somewhere."

"Could he have been expecting us?" Quatre mused aloud.

"Nah, not you, he was expecting _me_." came Deuce's voice from the doorway.

They all turned to look his way.

"And I forgot to tell you but try looking under Peter Sangre. His last name isn't really Piper but I think it must have been a while since he's used his real name. However, I'd guess the reason you can't find anything is because, if I remember right, he's supposed to have photographic memory or something darn near close to it. One of his R&R people mentioned it to me once. He was scandalized that Piper was so unprofessional about the way he did things. I had other things on my mind at the time so I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have." Deuce finished up.

There was dead silence from all the boys as they looked at him, then each other.

"Well, that's....just _great!_" Quatre exclaimed at last in dismay throwing his hands up. 

Duo glanced back at the computer and surreptitiously tried to rub his tired eyes. He had the contrast up all the way and it didn't seem to be enough.

"So where does that leave us?" Trowa asked the group. Disgruntlement showed in his eyes even though it didn't show in his voice.

"We could talk to him." Heero said flatly. He was _not_ happy with this new development and he certainly didn't feel like _talking_ to this man. Actions spoke louder than words to his mind. That was why Relena was so effective after all, she had more than once proved willing to back her words with her actions, and even her life. Wether she was right or wrong, she meant what she said and people knew it. 

"Don't think it'll work." Deuce shook his head. 

"Why not?" Quatre asked, frustration written on his face.

"Because he's crazy!" Duo blurted out finally joining the conversation. They all looked at him.

"I'm serious. This guy is too dangerous to fool around with. He's after revenge and he's nuts. You can't count on him to follow the normal rules. No telling how far he'll go to get what he wants." Duo finished up a bit uneasy with all their attention focused solely on him.

"We have no choice." Trowa said finally. "We have to talk to him to get our evidence. What we do afterwards will depend on what happens."

"And if we're going to talk to him we're going to have to figure a way to wire somebody for sound. We want proof this time around. I saw Zechs using some really neat two way gadgets that ought to work so I'll take care of that little detail." Quatre said thoughtfully, eyes lighting in growing anticipation.

"What have you got?" Deuce asked Duo curiously peering over his shoulder.

"His main money making branch. There's a listing of all the branches and divisions of Kale's." Duo replied scrolling the info for Deuce to see.

"Hmm. He's going be on the lookout now. We're going to have to take that into consideration this time around." Trowa said.

"Not the business." Quatre said suddenly. They all looked at him.

"His home. Don't go for the business. Go for his home. If he doesn't keep records at the business, he surely keeps some at home. Even if _he_ doesn't need them his customers would require _something_." Quatre finished up nodding decisively. 

Duo looked dubious but went to work. Moments later he had brought up the information and they all looked at it with almost a collective sigh. Of course things wouldn't be easy.

"Ok so which one do we target?" Duo asked. He really wished his eyes would behave. Every so often they would blur into double vision, and he kept catching himself squinting at the screen which made him mad. He had to take care of Piper, he had to last that long.

"Both." Heero said plainly.

"I want Piper." Deuce said flatly. Duo nodded sharply in agreement.

"Than Trowa and I will take on this one and you three take on that one." Quatre said pointing at the two addresses in turn.

"What if he's not there?" Duo mumbled under his breath. 

"I think he will be. I happen to know a bit about that section of the city. There's a number of wealthy estates there. It's the best bet." Quatre offered laying a hand on Duo's shoulder. Duo sighed and nodded. Quatre wasn't very often wrong.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Deuce wanted to know.

"Nothing." Heero said flatly wheeling to grab his carry sack and start getting ready. The others did the same.

  
  


"This guy is paranoid!" Duo hissed.

"Paranoid isn't the word I'd have used!" Deuce hissed back.

"Paranoid with an unhealthy dose of Schizophrenia?" Duo offered with a grin.

"Will you two shut up?!" Heero snapped.

They were referring to fact that the place had enough security for a high level government function.

Still, for all the security there was an alarming lack of movement. In fact the place looked almost deserted but for the guards.

"Maybe Quatre was wrong." Duo sighed.

Right or wrong it had been the best guess that anyone had been able to offer.

"Nope he wasn't wrong, look." Heero pointed out the car that was pulling up to the door.

Deuce sucked in a breath. Try as he might, Duo couldn't see any more than some dark blurs. Things had gone fuzzy for him at any great distance and sometimes he could see little halo's of light around certain things depending on the lighting. The spots hadn't been back though, Duo hoped that was a good thing.

So Piper was there, now remained the problem of getting to him. _Now would be a good time for an idea...._ Duo thought.

"...here's what we're going to do..." he said after a moment of intense thought.

  
  
  
  


Trowa and Quatre kept their watch at the rundown house on the edge of town till dark. They saw nothing. As far as they could tell there was really nothing to see. The house was just another rundown house with only a few neighbors around. Neighbors who were carefully minding their own business. Quatre figured they made a habit of non involvement.

Just as dusk was falling, Trowa gave Quatre the signal and they both approached the house to meet at the door. The door was locked. Trowa made a motion at Quatre to get back but Quatre shook his head and motioned for Trowa to stand watch instead

. Moving so he could keep one casual eye on their surroundings and one eye on Quatre, Trowa watched curiously while Quatre picked the lock with respectable speed. Upon entering, they both pulled out flashlights and started scanning the rooms. Finding the place deserted and not very well kept up, they moved back to what seemed to be an office.

Trowa started searching the drawers and file cabinets while Quatre pulled his wire free to report that the place was deserted. Finished with his report, he deactivated it and stowed it in his pocket, then set to work helping Trowa sort through all the paperwork for anything that looked interesting. 

After a long moment of working in silence, Trowa asked Quatre in a low voice, "Since when did you learn to pick locks?" 

Quatre flushing slightly, grinned a little at the memory. "Since I won a bet with Duo."

"You what?" Trowa paused to look in Quatre's direction.

"Sure. I bet him I could beat him at **(1)** Street Fighter Alpha then bribed Hilde to munch some double chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven right next to us and he was so distracted I beat him in less than five minutes!" Quatre told Trowa laughing quietly to himself.

Trowa grinned faintly at the other's antics and finished the stack of papers he was sorting through.

"Find anything Quatre?" he asked the Arabian.

Quatre sighed and shook his head. then froze when the light switch snapped on behind them simultaneously with a gun being cocked.

Both of them carefully raising their hands in the air, Trowa turned his head cautiously to see who it was.

"You!" Trowa exclaimed in disgust.

  
  
  
  


Several minutes after winning the argument promptly following his idea, somewhat to Duo's surprise, a black clad figure could be seen sauntering easily towards the estate.

Duo's appearance was met promptly by three security guards who surrounded the boy.

"Hey! Watch your hands!" Duo barked knocking one man's hand away. "I want to talk to Piper and he's gonna wanna talk to me so I suggest you be a little _nicer_...!!" 

Something in his voice and manner must have gotten through to the lead guard.

"Harley! Watch him but keep your mitts off for a minute. We're gonna have to frisk you first, you understand. Elleck, do it." the lead guard snapped.

Duo patiently complied while the one called Elleck patted him down. Two knives, one gun and three grenades later, Elleck turned to the lead guard.

"That's it Ikari." he said nodding once.

"Ok, bring him on through." Ikari said smartly leading the way through the gate. The minute Duo passed through though an alarm started wailing. Elleck and Harley promptly drew their guns and held it on him as Ikari turned triumphantly to face Duo.

"Ok _kid_, that gives us a scan when you walk through and it's telling us you got extra hardware on you. You wanna do this easy?" he sneered at Duo.

Duo silently reached around behind him, slowly as the two armed guards went tense with expectancy, and pulled his braid around in front of him. Undoing the hair band, he unwound the little gadget from his hair. So much for being wired for sound. 

Handing it to Ikari he deftly did the braid up again. Harley gave him a push to get him going, not waiting for him to finish. Ikari just sneered. Elleck had no expression whatsoever.

Hustled along, Harley would push him at the least little thing. Duo, getting tired of it, waited till Harley reached out again and deftly dodged the push which jostled Elleck.

"Stop playing around!" Elleck snapped irritated at Harley who glared at Duo. Ikari apparently ignored it all.

"Oh shut up! With hair like that, what's he gonna do? Whip me to death?" Harley snapped back. 

Ikari never looked back but threw over his shoulder, "Hair or no this kid just happens to be a Gundam Pilot and is on top of the boss's 'Dead or Alive" list, Harley. There's a 5,000 dollar reward out for him and I'm gonna collect it." 

Duo couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"5,000? _5,000??_ What kinda cheapskate would offer _5,000_?? I'm worth at least _triple _that! 5,000 is just plain _insulting_, and you decided to _work _for him?? Geez, you fellas aren't much for brains are you?? I'm almost afraid to think what you three do for hobbies...spit shine his shoes? _5,000_!!!" Duo growled in disgust.

"Oh shut up!" Elleck snarled in irate aggravation. Harley raised his arm as if to slap Duo and again Duo slipped it. This time Elleck got it in the face. Snarling he whipped around to kill Harley when Ikari intervened, grabbing his arm.

"Can it you two, you're supposed to be guarding the prisoner!!" he barked at them. Duo just stood there with bored expression on his face. Shrugging, Duo started walking again only to be brought up short by Ikari's hand on his braid and the click of a gun by his ear.

"You. You started this... Harley!" Ikari hissed. 

With a gleeful look on his face, Harley came around and snapped a set of cuffs on Duo's wrists. _They were just looking for an excuse to make it look good for them... _Duo calculated.

"Hands off the hair." Duo said softly in a deadly voice. "I didn't _start_ anything but if someone starts something I finish it..." Duo replied with a look in his eyes that gave Ikari pause for just a brief moment. Then Ikari shrugged it off and turned away to continue on.

Entering the large and spacious office behind Ikari, Duo saw Piper looking out a large, tinted plate glass window with his hands clasped behind his back. He turned to face Duo after a moment.

"Ah, Mr Maxwell. So you have returned." he said glancing briefly over Duo. There was no longer even a pretense of being pleasant on his face and in his eyes.

"Skip it Piper. Cut to the point. I got something you want and you got something I want. Let's talk." Duo said coolly keeping the rage that came up in him at the sight of Piper locked down tight for the moment. He wanted so much to _get_ this guy....he had to focus on the plan. _His _plan. The others hadn't liked his idea and Duo figured Heero didn't quite trust him to stick to it but he _had _been the best candidate for getting what they needed and they hadn't been able to argue that successfully.

"Yes. But first..." Piper pulled his gun and pointed it at him. "I think you brought some friends with you. Please introduce us."

"I don't need friends to do this, what makes you think I brought someone with me?" Duo asked warily watching the gun. 

Piper grinned without a trace of mirth to be found in it. Moving close to Duo, he jammed the gun under his chin. Forcing Duo over to his desk he hit a switch.

"Attention Gundam Pilots. I presently have Duo Maxwell on the wrong end of my gun. If you don't wish to see him dead you will give yourselves up...**_now_**__. I give you 60 seconds to do so. If you do not comply, not only will your comrade die, you will be shot on sight. Thank you." Piper grinned to himself coldly as his voice was broadcast throughout the building, he didn't see how he could lose.

At 57 seconds he jacked a fresh round into the chamber. 

At 58 seconds he started putting pressure on the trigger.

"We got 'em boss!" Ikari exclaimed sharply as his communicator went off. Pulling it out, he barked instructions into it. Piper eased off on the gun and held it at an angle waiting. Moments later Heero and Deuce were being pushed into the room by none other than Chance and Jez.

Cuffs were produced and fastened. Piper then instructed Ikari, Harley and Elleck to stand guard outside the door. Jez and Chance just leered at Duo and Deuce as they took up positions on either side of the boys. 

Piper thoughtfully walked around the two boys making a complete circuit, carefully inspecting a new type of bug it seemed. He stopped in front of them and shook his head.

"Pilot 01 otherwise known as Heero Yuy and Deuce Kipling. Yes I know about you Kipling. Though I expected more of you Yuy. What happened to the famous pilot that would let nothing stand between him and finishing his mission?" Piper said walking around to where he could face them all.

"Can't always get what you want." Heero responded coldly. He seemed a bit peeved.

Duo, on the other hand, was the picture of relaxation, hands casually behind his head hampered only slightly by the cuffs. Deuce just stood there warily.

"Ah, but I have." Piper beamed at them. He turned to face them all losing the smile.

"Where is it?" he asked sharply back to business once more.

"Where's what?" Deuce asked innocently. Piper's eyes narrowed as his patience was fast disappearing.

"You _know _what." he almost hissed at Kipling. He raised his gun again lining it up on Deuce who tried hard to ignore it.

"_Oh_, well, sorry, how was I to know that if I took the last of your allergy medicine you'd get so cranky?" Deuce shrugged apologetically raising his hands. Duo snickered and straightened up bringing his hands down from behind his head. 

Piper snarled and cocked his gun still lined up on Deuce who frowned.

"Errr....the jeep I borrowed when I left?" Deuce murmured uneasily. Piper's finger twitched. 

"The _PSD23_ you _twit_!" Piper snarled at Deuce.

"_Oooh_, the _PSD23_.....er, do you mean that artificially engineered viral/toxin that you were experimenting with to sell to the highest bidder of various discontented world leaders before I 'borrowed' it?" Deuce asked brightening up.

_"Yes! _Yes, where is it?" Piper growled relaxing slightly now that he seemed to be getting somewhere.

"Or are you talking about the PC11 that I also borrowed? See, one was on the right hand side and one was on the left hand side and I get so confused sometimes....dyslexia can be such a pain." Deuce prattled on. A sweat drop was making it's way down Deuce's face now, he didn't know how much longer he could do this. Duo made it look so _easy_.

Piper looked blankly at Deuce for a moment. He'd ordered the PC11 disposed of, no one wanted to touch it. And he was much more interested in the PSD23.

"_Don't... play... around... with... me... boy...!!!_ I don't **_care_**__ about the PC11, I want the toxin and you're about 3 seconds from a shattered _kneecap_ **_boy_!"** he told Deuce, his frayed edges showing. Deuce took this as a bad sign and decided now was a good time to pass the buck.

"Oh, I gave it to him a while back!" Deuce said airily flapping his hand at Duo. 

Piper looked as if he wanted to hit something but collected himself and turned on Duo. Deuce breathed a barely audible sigh of relief that Piper's ire wasn't focused on him anymore.

"Back to you I see, you're more trouble than you were worth! You said you wanted a deal. So talk!!" Piper barked.

"Deal's off. You lied to me, you don't even _have_ the PC11." Duo said calmly.

"_I'LL SHOW YOU DEAL!! ARE YOU **TRYING** TO DIE EARLY?!" _Piper roared in a rage, inches from Duo's face.

Duo just shrugged,"You're the one gave me that PSD23. Since you're the one that did it how do you propose to threaten a walking dead man? Besides I don't have it anymore either. I gave it to him."

Piper was starting to turn an interesting shade of reddish/purple. Stalking away from them for a moment, he snatched a shot glass and bottle from his desk. Pouring himself a drink with hands that trembled with rage, he tossed it back in one long swallow. Getting himself under control, he then turned on Heero.

"Ok, Yuy. You got one chance and one chance only, to tell me what I want to know. _This_... has turned into a three ring circus as seems to happen all too often with Maxwell as he's no doubt responsible for this somehow. So, I'm asking you once only... _where is it?_" Piper said evenly.

"You mean the PSD23..." Heero said flatly. Piper twitched and a manic gleam entered his eyes. 

"I gave it to the Preventer's medical team's head doctor.... her name is Sally Po. She's always hanging around with 05. You'll have to go through him to get to her." Heero continued smoothly.

"Thank you." Piper said coldly and raised his pistol, lining it up on Heero.

"Just a minute Piper...." Duo said softly.

"I need nothing from you Maxwell so wait your turn!" Piper said sneered.

"Or should I say Peter Sangre?" Duo paused. Piper turned his head slowly.

"_What _did you say?" Piper stared icily at Duo for a moment. He hadn't been expecting that.

"I just want to know... I want to hear you say it. Were you responsible for the attack on Hilde at L2?" Duo asked in an oddly calm way.

"Then there's the matter of the attack on Quatre's company, his friend's hit 'n run accident and the attack on Trowa's girlfriend." Deuce put in.

"The Preventers know what you're up to and you _won't_ make it past all five of _us_!" Heero added menacingly, raising his cuffed hands and crouching ever so slightly. Jez and Chance both were watching Heero tensely, ready for him to try something. 

"So was that you?" Deuce wanted to know.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Piper said in disdain, turning back to Heero.

"Thought so." Duo said and made his move; taking advantage of the fact that everyone was watching Heero who looked like he could explode into lethal action any second. 

_Intimidation factor: a perfect 10!!_ _Great job Heero! Even when your 'helpless' you make people feel like you're about to bite!!_ Duo whipped the object in his hands at Piper and dived for Chance even as Heero dropped to his hands using his legs to sweep Jez's feet out from under him. Jez, desperately grabbing for his gun, landed hard on the floor in time to hear a _crack_ as Heero braced himself and gave a savage twist to his cuffs that snapped them apart. Jez got his gun up and scrambled for his feet but couldn't get a bead on Heero who was moving too fast. Crashing into Jez, Heero fought for control of the gun. 

Deuce had lunged for Piper who had flinched back from the cuffs Duo had flung at him, for that's what they were. Clubbing his hands together, Deuce used the cuffs to add impact to his blow as he cracked down hard on Piper's hands to force him to drop his gun. The gun went off as Piper dropped it but the force of Deuce's blow had knocked it out of line; the bullet merely gouged the desk on it's way to the wall. 

Piper kicking viciously at Deuce to keep him back, scrambled around his desk snatching up the bottle. Smashing the end of it against the desk to make a better weapon, Piper launched himself at Deuce slashing with the broken bottle. Deuce gave ground slipping the first slash of the bottle at his face but used the cuffs to catch the next slash. The bottle shattered the rest of the way leaving red oozing slashes on Deuce's arm where the cuff stopped. Piper dropped the remains of the bottle fast and lashed out at Deuce's face. 

Deuce, at a disadvantage with his hands still fastened, tried to block but couldn't avoid several blows that left his head ringing and blood trickling down the side of his face into his eyes blinding him. Deuce kneed Piper in desperation but the driven man acted as if he barely felt it; his eyes wild as he latched his hands around Deuce's throat and shoving Deuce the last few feet to pin him against the wall. 

It had taken only moments for Jez to find himself straining to hold onto the gun and keep some semblance of control against this kid who was impossibly strong. Seeing how hard Jez was struggling, Heero simply let go. Jez was putting so much effort into the struggle that when Heero let go, his hand flew back smacking the wall hard enough to make him finally lose the gun. Which also left Jez in no position to put up a guard when Heero hammered three final blows to Jez's chin, heart and solar plexis. Jez never had a chance.

Securing the gun, Heero threw a quick glance to see that Deuce was losing fast against Piper and that Duo was sitting on his man with a good double handful of mohawk and was enthusiastically banging a limp Chance's head against the wall. There was a nasty looking knife embedded in the wall just past Duo's head but Heero didn't stop to speculate as he turned to face the door firing at the trio of guards that belatedly came tumbling through the door; trusting the other two to take Piper down.

Duo, seeing Deuce in trouble, grabbed Chance's gun that had never left it's holster. Lining the gun's sights up on Piper who had both hands around Deuce's throat, Duo snarled to himself in disgust. Tucking the gun into the back of his pants, Duo came up behind the two, striking at the back of Piper's neck with the edge of his hand. That got Piper's attention as Piper abruptly let go of a gasping Deuce and turned on Duo with a vengeance.

_Shit! _Duo thought in a temper as he ducked and weaved slipping most of Piper's blows. Piper was stronger but Duo was faster. Only Duo didn't know how long he could keep it up.

_Just **what **does it **take** to bring this guy down?? Any **normal** person would be incapacitated on the **floor!! **Ok, think **abnormal**.... _Duo growled to himself.__

__"Hey Piper!" Duo paused, ducking yet another wild blow to look up at the man, face serious, one finger in the air right in Piper's face as if making a point in an argument. 

Piper snarled and paused for a bare second. 

"Rule #2 in a Crisis Situation: Look behind you." he told him then laughed in Piper's face as a mostly recovered Deuce hammered a blow to Piper's kidney. The man finally started to crumble.

**_That_**_ one hurt! _Duo thought with satisfaction as he added his two cents worth with a short sharp blow to the wind which doubled Piper over only to meet Duo's knee on the way down. Piper went down for the count but Deuce added an elbow to the Piper's neck a second time just to be sure; he didn't want any surprises.

"Rule #1, Murphy's Laws of Combat: If the enemy is in range...so are you." Deuce finished up, a savage smile on his face.

Dusting off his hands, Duo smiled with a grim satisfaction at having gotten his chance at the man. Deuce glared down at Piper, his breathing still ragged from Piper's choke hold. 

Duo searched for and found his cuffs that had been kicked part way under the desk during the fight, and snapped them over the inert Piper's wrists. Checking around Duo saw that Heero had taken two guards down with two shots and the third guard was on the floor with his hands behind his head while Heero leaned on the door waiting for them to finish up with Piper.

Duo grinned cockily at him, Heero just leaned against the door looking bored; a faint glimmer of what _might_ have been amusement in his eyes. Deuce soon found the key for his own cuffs and they set about getting ready for the reinforcements that could already be heard on the other side of the door..

  
  
  
  


Trowa and Quatre were looking down the barrel of a gun. The man studied them carefully and cautiously and didn't look like he'd be underestimating them which was a shame Trowa thought. He was thoroughly disgusted with himself for letting the guy sneak up on them but then again _this_ man was no fool and knew who they were.

"So now that you've caught us what are you going to do?" Quatre asked him with full composure.

"You're looking for something. Obviously something do with Piper but I really don't care. You're not my job. Guess you'll just have to stay here while I finish up." the man said succinctly.

Quatre's eyes narrowed at the man. Trowa tensed slightly, ready to break loose at the least chance.

"I won't let you get Duo." Quatre said flatly. The man laughed in his face.

"Not just him anymore." he told them causally. Quatre's eyes went wide then narrowed down in anger. Trowa inched slowly to one side. The man waved his gun at Trowa and he froze.

"Nuh uh. Can't have you doing that. Both of you just turn around and lean up against that wall, hands over your head. _Now_!" he said curtly to the two of them.

Reluctantly, Trowa and Quatre did what they were told. Trowa heard a whisper of movement and then something hard cracked down on his head and as he slipped into darkness he thought he heard Quatre's voice raised and then nothing....

Quatre, realizing what was going on when Trowa crumpled to the ground against the wall, spun yelling in protest only to have the man lay the barrel of his gun forcefully alongside his own head. This guy had read them accurately picking Trowa as the one more dangerous in hand to hand. And although he had been surprised at the speed of Quatre's reaction, he had been expecting something like this. Quatre never felt the second blow, the force of it knocking him against the desk and onto the floor in an unconscious heap; a trickle of blood flowing out from under his blond hair.

The man stared at the blond in disgust. He hadn't meant to hit the kid so hard, as fast as Quatre had moved, he'd just reacted. Shaking his head he bent down to check blondie's pulse. These two weren't his targets and he had no real wish to harm blondie. 

Satisfied, he straightened up, glancing around. Undoubtedly the kid wouldn't see it that way when he went after the kid's friends but a job was a job and he had a reputation to maintain. His line of work depended on that. He'd been paid and he'd agreed to it and that was the bottom line. Moving to the door, he looked back but knowing Piper wasn't planning to be back soon, he figured Trowa would wake up in plenty of time. He hadn't hit him as hard. Then the man was gone. 

  
  


The commotion and gunshots had attracted more guards and even though they had blocked the reinforced door, Duo didn't know how much longer it would hold against the men outside.

A fuming Piper, dazed Jez, and Harley, the only ones basically in one piece, were now wearing the cuffs. The other three had been checked and relieved of weapons and propped together all in one corner.

The door creaked under heavy blows from the corridor and from the yells, there appeared to be a number of men on the other side. The three boys checked their weapons. Heero glanced at Duo periodically from the corner of his eye. Duo had appropriated Piper's chair and had leaned back in Piper's chair with his feet on the desktop. He was checking his gun but seemed to be having difficulty seeing from the squint he was leveling at it. And there was a fine sheen of sweat that might or might not have anything to do with the situation they were in.

Deuce was grimly silent and checking his own gun professionally enough. Of course, from the bruises on his throat he probably didn't feel like talking anyway.

"You've had it you know! I have men out there who will enjoy taking you to pieces, most of 'em x-Oz." Piper snarled in a fury. No one payed the least bit of attention to him which made him even more furious. Pausing for a breath, his eyes blazing in fury, he glared at them venomously.

"Oi, Duo! ...just how'd you get out of those cuffs?" Deuce asked Duo finally breaking his silence. 

Duo grinned and looked at Deuce. His grin dimmed as he tried to figure which of the two Deuce's he was seeing was the right one, then the double vision straightened itself out and he put his smile back. He didn't want them thinking something was wrong, well worse than it was at any rate.

"That's......" Duo paused. Deuce unconsciously leaned his way a bit more. 

"... a secret." he drawled and went back to checking his gun for the third time. Deuce glared at him in annoyed disgust, sighed, shook his head in resignation and went back to checking out his own firearm.

The door shook under a heavy thud and a split started running vertically through the door. Some of the shouts and threats were becoming audible.

"You losers have had it. And even if the other two _do _manage to survive this; _you_, Maxwell, are going to die a slow and painful death! I'll see you _all_ dead if it kills me!!" Piper snarled at them unable to keep his mouth shut any longer; his face an unhealthy color.

Duo laughed in his face then swivelled to face him and said, "You really screwed up bad this time around, Piper. You see, pretty soon the Preventers will be here. You _really have lost_ this time Piper. Oh, and I knew all about this PSD23 _and _PC11. The cure was _never_ an option for me but I'm Shinigami and Death doesn't die... and if I _do_ die I'll be back to haunt you. You gambled Piper and you lost cuz you weren't holding all the cards. So shut up before someone does it for you." Duo told him grinning his crazy lopsided smile all the while absentmindedly lining the barrel of the gun up on Piper's forehead as if he were checking the sights. 

Piper's mouth opened, a sneer firmly in place, but before he could say anything Deuce walked over and shoved a wadded up cloth in his mouth. Then Heero cocked his head. He thought he'd heard sirens in the distance. 

Another heavy thud and the door splintered in two, not quite loose but not really together either. Heero took this as his cue and lay down covering fire while Duo and Deuce pushed the desk over in spot previously selected to provide strategic shelter. The three boys ducked down behind it as return fire splintered the wood. It was a good thing Piper liked sturdy desks. 

Piper was making frantic noises through his gag as things erupted around them. Jez and Harley were white as a ghost and had their eyes shut tight. The boys had put them into the best corner possible and behind a pulled over bookcase but it wasn't fool proof as was obvious as Piper jumped from a close call.

Duo pulled a grenade out, looked at the chaos as Heero leaned around the desk to fire back, shook his head and put it back. Heero pulled back as Deuce let loose a stream of words in a language he didn't recognize.

Deuce had been keeping an eye on the big plate glass window behind them off to their right and now they could see a group of three guards coming in close while trying to maintain their cover. Deuce tensed to move while jacking a fresh round into the pistol. Heero caught his arm and held him back. When Deuce looked at him questioningly, he just shook his head then went back to keeping the men outside the door down.

"What's the matter Duo? Out of ammo?" Heero asked flatly having noticed that Duo hadn't fired a single shot yet.

Deuce yelped just then as the men outside let loose a barrage designed to shatter the window and charged. There was only one problem.

The window was made of bullet proof glass. The first man, rammed into the window full tilt not able to stop because of the men behind him. He hit the glass looking shocked, his face flattened against it looking distorted. The man directly behind him, bounced off into the man behind him and the last two guards landed on the ground in a comical tangle of limbs. The last man in line, realizing how stupid it must have looked, became outraged and was soon yelling and shoving at the other two until they wouldn't take it anymore and a full fledged brawl started.

Deuce hooted in laughter, the window fit perfectly with Piper's paranoia, and relaxed turning back to find a lull in the shooting. Heero was looking at Duo and Duo was just looking down at his gun, knuckles white. Turning his head from one to the other, Deuce finally realized what Heero had noticed right off.

Sirens could be heard right outside the building now and shooting had spread throughout the building. The men directly outside the door were in the middle of an argument and everything had come to a dead standstill.

"It's not the ammo..." Duo mumbled finally.

Heero didn't bother answering, just looked at Duo for a brief moment and went back to watching the door.

Duo finally looked up and Deuce stared some sort of morbid fascination at Duo's once expressive violet eyes that were now cloudy and turning pale. Heero turned back to Duo, reached out and firmly tugged the gun from Duo's tense grasp to tuck it into the back of his pants. Duo simply sat there, pulling his knees to his chest and listening to the chaos around them; his face expressionless.

Then shouts were heard and the guards started to scatter as Preventers came swarming in. Heero stayed where he was patiently waiting till he was satisfied that everything was under control. Then they heard their names being called loud and clear. Heero got up pulling Duo with him, Deuce standing silently right behind them.

After a few minutes wait, Lady Une entered briskly with Zechs at her side. Heero looked at him sharply and scowled. Zechs shrugged.

"Do you really think Relena or Hilde either one would stand for being isolated and buried even for the sake of security? They had some things they wanted to do and now they're back." Zechs smiled thinly at Heero who nodded. Duo didn't react. Lady Une looked at him sharply but turned to Deuce who was pulling the three captives to their feet.

The minute he took the gag out of Piper's mouth, as per Lady Une's instructions, Piper started to yell at her.

"I demand you arrest these people!! They've broken into my home, killed my men..." Piper was cut off sharply by Lady Une.

"Save it Piper. We heard _every single word_ and you are, quite simply, sunk. I'd suggest you keep your mouth shut. The less I hear out of you the better!!" Lady Une Looked at Piper. Any sane person would have had the sense to hide and not come out for a good long while.

Piper's mouth worked for a few seconds and then he blurted, "But... that's impossible... _you're lying!_"

Lady Une, who had started to turn away, turned back and for a minute Colonel Une was peering out of her brown eyes with a look that shouted _trouble!_ Even Piper cringed back at this. That's when Deuce took a step forward and with a nasty grin at Piper, reached under his shirt and pulled out the real wire.

Dangling it in front of Piper, he smiled a truly frightening smile at this man who'd dealt out so much hurt.

"Duo's was just to throw you off. I had the real one all along and even though you caught us, the only one that went through your security the normal way was Duo's. And it was all his idea too! You really are going down Piper, for a long time and I'm glad I was here to see it." Deuce laughed in his face. 

Piper stared at him for a long moment and then slowly turned his head to look at Duo who was following the conversation but not looking at anything in particular. Then something seemed to snap inside the man and shackled or not, he lunged at Duo screaming something no one could decipher with intent to kill written all over his face.

Heero promptly shoved Duo back getting in between the lunatic and Duo who barely caught himself from tripping over some debris on the floor. Deuce caught and steadied him. 

Zechs, having read Piper's intentions, had already grabbed the man and was physically holding him back, barely effective against Piper's insane struggling. Then Lady Une stepped up to the man and brought the butt of her own sidearm chopping down on his head in one short, efficient blow.

Holstering her sidearm, she dusted off her gloves looking down at the inert man at her feet.

"I believe I _did_ warn you." was all she said as she turned away to address Heero.

"Hmm... three down, two neatly tied and delivered and one out of action for now. I'd like your report at 1500 tomorrow. Good job." she smiled thinly, nodding at the boys.

"Yup! Don't I know it! But I'm still really glad you got here with such perfect timing. Things were getting a little tense." Deuce replied grinning.

"Wufei's excellent work as always. He decided he was going to monitor things personally. I believe Dr Po was not very happy but Wufei _can _be _so_ stubborn." Lady Une smiled thinly, then turned to leave.

"So how'd Trowa and Quatre make out?" Duo asked casually. Lady Une froze in her tracks and looked back at him sharply.

"They aren't here?" she asked quickly. Heero frowned.

"No, they were supposed to check out an alternate address for Piper. But obviously we got Piper so they should have been back already." he told her shortly.

"That will have to be checked out immediately." Lady Une murmured thinking hard.

"Lets go check it out." Duo jumped in.

"Not you. The condition you're in you can't help, only get in the way." Heero told him bluntly. Duo flinched remembering another time and place when Heero had said the same thing.

"Heero, you will check this other address out and report back immediately. Take any equipment or aid you feel that you want. Duo, I need you to make a thorough report as soon as possible along with your friend Deuce." Lady Une intervened. Duo shrugged closing his eyes and crossing his arms, his expression closing off once again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**(1)** Sorry folks... I really am making an effort to stick reasonably close to the tv series/EW/manga but I couldn't resist. My little brother just got done whuppin my ass with Alpha Street Fighter and I really hate the special move button combos you have to put in and I was writing this listening to my brother play his game and the next thing I knew it was in the story and wouldn't come out LOL I guess it's stuck! And who wouldn't be distracted by fresh baked chocolate chip cookies??:) Yum!


	9. The Beginning of the End

Hey ya'll. I really am sorry it's taking sooo long to get the next part out. My family and I had to move and it's been hectic the last few weeks not to mention that my internet access has been practically non-existent. And that's all on top of seriously considering a job change and a few other minor snags!!! But I will do the best I can and I **_will_**__ finish this story if I have anything to say about it!! :)As it is, things are finally looking up a bit so I hope I can get some real progress done on the story. Thanks to every single one of you who reviewed and especially Pie in the sky for her encouragement :) 

  
  


**THE BEGINNING OF THE END **

**CHAPTER 9 **

****

****Trowa unconsciously let a small moan escape as he came to. Forcing himself to focus past his head, he slowly got to his hands and knees. Taking several deep breaths, he opened his eyes. There was only the dim light from his nearly dead flashlight. His head clearing some, he made it to his feet, one hand on the wall. A sudden memory of Quatre yelling just before he blanked out, brought him around sharply. Seeing part of a pant, leg and shoe showing from around the corner of the desk, he made his way over, dropping to his knees beside the blond.

His eyes cold, he turned Quatre's head seeing dried blood matting his hair and on the carpeted floor. When he saw that Quatre was breathing steadily if shallowly, and that his pulse was firm, he relaxed a bit. Gently he slapped Quatre's face carefully avoiding the bruising and cut on left side of his face. After a bit of coaxing, Quatre started to come around.

Telling Quatre to hold still, Trowa picked up Quatre's light and found that it had been off so he tried it. It worked. Trowa came back and knelt down wanting to check Quatre's eyes for concussion.

Quatre feebly tried to wave him away holding his head with his other hand, eyes squinted shut against the intruding light.

"Cut it out and hold still, Quatre, or else." Trowa told him firmly. Finally satisfied, Trowa rocked back on his heels.

"Concussion." Trowa said simply.

"I figured that out for myself." Quatre mumbled under his breath. Then Trowa was pulling him to his feet. Quatre managed to get his feet under himself and looked at Trowa out of the corner of his eye. Trowa himself was pale and was moving his head carefully.

"You ok Trowa?" Quatre croaked after a moment, the boys actually bracing each other as they moved towards the door. 

"Of course. That was a stupid stunt you pulled Quatre." Trowa told him. He was steadily getting his legs back but was careful to keep his pace down to Quatre who wasn't too steady yet.

"Says you. And if it had succeeded it would have been called brilliant." Quatre growled back, not his usual amiable self through the pounding of his head.

"No, desperate." Trowa contradicted.

"Stubborn mmMMMmmMMm." was all Quatre said before he fell into pained silence.

Just outside the house they halted in dismay. Their Jeep, their mode of transportation, was sitting just outside with four slashed tires. Point made. It looked like they were walking. Trowa sighed and Quatre made a noise suspiciously like a muffled moan. 

"Well, lets go." Quatre ground out after a moment. 

They hadn't gotten but a few blocks into town when they spotted a familiar Mustang turning the corner down the street with an official Preventer truck directly behind it. The Mustang accelerated upon seeing them and pulled smoothly to a stop beside them. Heero leaned out the window observing them for one silent moment.

Quatre's face lit up and even Trowa looked relieved. 

"Forget to duck?" Heero asked them dryly.

Quatre glared at him through narrowed eyes and a pounding head, "Of all the things you had to pick up from Duo, you just had to develop his _smart mouth_!" 

Trowa nodded in agreement then winced, looking almost as displeased as Quatre.

Then the Preventer truck pulled up along side them and a man they knew as Murphy leaned out.

"You two look like ya done three rounds on the Screamer coaster ride just after ya ate a double chocolate malt with sauerkraut!" He snickered.

Quatre's face turned green. Trowa glared at the man, his own face was rather pale.

"Where's your Jeep?" Heero asked them. Trowa jerked a thumb and pulled a door open.

Quatre slid in, one arm wrapped around his stomach. As Trowa slid in right beside him, Quatre informed Heero that it had four slashed tires and would have to be towed or fixed.

Heero leaned out of the car and informed a grinning Murphy that he would be in charge of retrieving the Jeep. 

"Ach! Why me? Lady Une never said nothin 'bout no vehicle!" Murphy protested grin disappearing fast.

"You're having so much fun I didn't think it would be right to keep you from it. You figure it out." Heero said shortly and put the Mustang in gear and headed back home. Taking the time on the ride home to catch each other up on their missions, they arrived at Preventer HQ and headed for the infirmary.

Opening the door to the main waiting room they stopped at the sight of Relena, Lady Une, Zechs, Noin and Deuce all standing around.

The minute they saw who it was Relena and Lady Une turned towards them.

"What's going on?!_"_ Quatre demanded anxiously. Relena moved up to Heero to stand beside him, her face a mixture of worry and hope. Hilde was nowhere in sight Trowa observed. 

"Duo wouldn't rouse when we got back. He's finally collapsed. Sally is with him now with Volscheck and Miller and some concoction they came up with." Lady Une said gravely. 

Looking at Trowa and Quatre, she added, "Looks like you've got your own story to tell."

"Noin, get Trucker here to look at these two, on the double!" she added raising her voice. Noin nodded and disappeared, returning in a few moments with a short, squat doctor in tow.

Checking Trowa over, he soon announced that Trowa had a slight concussion and would have a headache for a while but that nothing was gravely impaired.

Trucker was scowling over Quatre's face when Sally made her appearance. Everyone moved towards her in mass, including Quatre who gladly ducked out from under Trucker probing fingers. Sally held up a tired hand for quiet.

"We're doing all we can. Right now he's still out. I have no idea if and when he might come around." Sally told them. Her eyes held a determined glimmer. She hadn't quit yet.

"What about his eyes?" Quatre asked anxiously, remembering Heero's terse comment in the car.

Sally sighed, "We _think_ he's developed cataracts. We're hoping that's all there is to it. The way it started I was afraid it was going to ruin his optic nerves but I don't think it's gone to that. Of course we won't know for sure until he wakes up."

"_Until_ he wakes up? Did you find a cure then?" Trowa asked.

"Errr...well... Sally hedged. "That is, Wufei's tea is having some interesting effects and combined with a concoction Volscheck, Miller and I came up with he's got a chance. The longer he lasts the better chance he's got."

"That's it?" Heero asked her with narrowed eyes.

"That's the best you could do?" Quatre added in dismay.

"If that's what you came up with than we have no choice but to go with it." Lady Une sighed. Zechs was looking at Relena who was looking Sally Po with a dismay equal to Quatre's.

"That's _not _all."came Wufei's voice from where he was leaning on the doorjamb of Duo's room. He looked exhausted and had his arm in a sling with bandages showing from under his unbuttoned shirt; nevertheless, he was still looking better than Quatre had last seen him. He nodded at Sally expectantly. Sally looked uncomfortable but it was clear that they weren't leaving until they'd had it all from her.

"Well, that is, Miller came up with something and it turns out Wufei's people have used it too...." Sally mumbled.

"Which is....what? Will you please stop beating around the bush?" Lady Une said a bit sharply.

"Well, we're trying to bring his fever down first and umm...then we're going to, well..... sweat it out of him." Sally finished in a hurry.

"Do _what...?_"Zechs asked flatly.

"You heard her." Wufei said bluntly. Quatre blinked several times, he was sure he hadn't heard right. Trowa's mouth started a suspicious twitch. Heero's face was carefully blank while Lady Une looked thoughtful. Relena was just plain speechless.

"In spite of it's viral properties it _is_ still basically a toxin. Suppress the viral part, take the toxin out and the rest is up to him." Wufei explained much to Sally's relief. In spite of her hopes she was fully aware of how it sounded.

"I see. Then I don't think I'm needed here any longer. Please keep me informed." Trowa murmured and moved to the door. With his headache down to a dull roar due to Trucker's ministrations, all he wanted now was to lay down.

Once he was outside the door, the other's inside heard a brief guffaw of laughter that died as Trowa moved on down the hallway.

"Yes, do keep me informed." Lady Une added her bit and followed Trowa out the door.

Quatre just stood there looking incredulously at Wufei and Sally which Trucker took as a good time finish up. Quatre let himself be sat down, only turning to listen in on the conversation while trying to ignore the painful probing of Trucker.

"But... _sweat_ it out of him?" Relena was protesting.

"Well, I've already tried various state of the art cleansers/anti-toxins and none of them work. The PSD23 just adapts. We thought this was the best choice as there's nothing for it to adapt _to_. So there's nothing to trigger a mutation, see? Sometimes the simple approach is best." Sally told them relieved that this seemed to be the extent of their reaction.

"It's still going to be touch and go but we've run out of options. The tea doesn't guarantee that the toxin will remain dormant, the effect is more like charming snakes...err..not a good analogy but I can't think of a better one at the moment." Sally added a tired grimness showing for a moment.

Zechs snorted, shaking his head and headed for the door, Noin right on his heels, only pausing to lay a hand briefly on Relena's shoulder.

"_Ouch!!_" Quatre yelped. Trucker briskly finished the bandage that ran from Quatre's eye and down his face.

"I'd say you have a middlin' concussion, deep laceration of the face and a fractured cheek bone, young man. I can't say for sure about the fracture unless you submit to an x-ray. Talk to Ms Po about it. At any rate, it'll be painful for awhile. Change the bandage regularly with these medicated bandages and apply this analgesic cream as often as needed." Trucker finished up and picking up his things he too left.

Quatre, holding a hand protectively to his face, opened his mouth to ask Sally something when Miller poked his head out past Wufei.

"Sally, I think it's time to give it a go. The fever's down." he informed her. Sally nodded, and turned to the room only pausing to lay a hand on Wufei's shoulder.

"Get some rest Wufei. You've done enough." she said simply. Wufei sighed and moved out of her way. 

"Where's Hilde?" Quatre blurted out.

"I don't know. I think she's trying to find her balance. She was pretty upset when she heard about Duo." Relena said quietly.

"What were you two doing back ahead of plan anyway?" Heero asked her abruptly.

"If you must know, Hilde and I were seeing what we could do about H & D Salvage. And this _is_ Preventer HQ, Heero, if the Preventers can't stay on top of their own HQ they don't have any business in the business they're in." she told him tartly, eyes sparking.

Wufei sighed, "I'm going to my quarters if anyone wants me." 

"Me too." Quatre agreed with him hastily. They both left, wanting to get out of the way of the forthcoming discussion. There really wasn't any though as Heero just sighed, suddenly looking tired. 

"I think I'll just go hunt her up." Relena said softly, moving to the door. Heero nodded looking at nothing in particular as she left.

There was one more loose end to tie up. The man who'd accosted Trowa and Quatre. It had to have been Rip from their descriptions of the man. There really wasn't anything to be done about it at the moment though, he'd start on it in the morning he thought as he sat down for just a moment on one of the uncomfortable lounges in the room. Or maybe not... he had made a promise to Duo. He was asleep before he realized it. 

Trucker, popping in after a forgotten tool, saw the young man, paused, then went to find a blanket to cover the sleeping form.

  
  


Relena found Hilde on the roof looking at the stars. Sitting down beside her friend, Relena told her what was happening. Hilde nodded but didn't say anything for a long while.

"Duo likes to look at the moon. He says it looks like a graveyard from the colony." Hilde said, finally breaking the silence. She turned to look at Relena who back gravely.

"He also says he doesn't believe in God but there's nothing left for me to do but pray. I have nothing to lose so why not? I was a soldier too but right now I want to be anything but that. So I'm going to pray that Duo makes it and if he doesn't I'm going to live life like he's always done." Hilde got up, a fathomless expression on her face. Relena rose with her and placed a hand on Hilde's shoulder.

"Then I will to." she said simply. Hilde cracked a small lopsided grin and headed for the stairwell. Tomorrow was another day and she wanted to see Duo... just in case.

  
  


Heero awoke with a crick in his neck. For a moment he wondered why he was on a lounge in the infirmary, then memory kicked in. 

Pulling himself up, he decided to check in on Duo. Pulling the door open, he was met with a heat wave straight off the Sahara Desert, moist and roiling. Shutting the door, he took breath, braced himself and moved into the room. 

A tired, sweaty looking Volscheck was monitoring various machines. He was currently checking a fluid IV that was keeping Duo from dehydrating amongst other things. In mere moments Heero's shirt was soaked in sweat and clinging to him. Sally had meant exactly what she said; it was _hot_ in here._ And was it necessary to add **blankets** to this heat?_ Heero wondered as he looked at a stack of limp looking sheets and blankets on a chair; and Duo who was unconscious and so very still, sweat literally running off of him. Was his eyes deceiving him or did the sweat running off of Duo's slack face have a slight _blue_ tint to it?

Finishing up, Volscheck straightened to meet Heero's questioning eyes. 

"I don't know." he said wearily. "And I _won't_ know for a little while yet I think." 

The doctors had been taking turns braving this makeshift sauna and his shift was almost up. He was looking forwards to the end of his shift. Not only was he extremely tired of this heat ( it _never_ got anywhere close to this temperature where _he_ came from) but he'd had people popping in and out since early morning as if they didn't have anything better to do than bother him. 

Miller came in just then and Volscheck brought him up to date then hastily escaped that mini desert of a room with Heero on his heels.

"Just how long till you know something for sure?" Heero asked the man who was understandably cranky.

"Till his system's clear and he remains stable for at least 72 hours. And that's not including any of a dozen possible side effects or relapses." Volscheck returned irritably. Volscheck had only repeated this a dozen times to a dozen different Preventers and friends.

Heero nodded and allowed the man to escape. Stretching, he decided breakfast was in order. Leaving the room, he passed Hilde coming in. She was a bit pale but there was an air about her that told Heero she'd come to terms with herself. Mentally, Heero nodded in approval. 

Hilde had grown up a bit in the last little while. But then there was that saying, you only stop learning when you're dead. It was different, being willing and expecting to die for what you believed in during a war, and watching a friend, father, mother, brothers or sisters die in front of you. In a way, watching someone you love die is the hardest thing in the world to do; knowing there is nothing you can do. You learn to take one minute at a time, one day at a time. **(1) **

****A few hours later Heero was back at the infirmary only to find Quatre already there.Quatre looked up, an unusual strained look on his normally gentle face.

"What's wrong?" Heero asked in muted alarm. Quatre shook his head looking worried with a subtle anguish to his face.

"I just got notice that after all the progress Jase had been making, he had a relapse and died early this morning." Quatre informed him in a subdued voice.His blond hair was plastered to his face and neck and sweat dripped off his chin. It was Miller who was keeping watch this time and he looked a match for Quatre.

Heero absorbed this and watched Quatre as he just sat there with one hand on Duo's. He wasn't doing anything, just sitting there resting his hand on Duo's limp one and staring into space. Heero sighed and pulled up a chair next to Quatre's. There wasn't anything to say. They all knew that in spite of the hope Sally was holding out Duo's odds were 50/50 at best. And they all knew it wouldn't take much to tip the scales to the wrong side.

Watching Duo's slack face, Heero saw that the sweat steadily dripping off of his face had a positively blue tinge to it. Miller would occasionally take a damp rag, run it under water and wipe Duo's face with it. The sheets were changed on a regular basis as they were soaked with blue sweat. The IV dripped steadily and Miller monitored the equipment constantly, making adjustments as needed; occasionally taking swigs from a jug of ice water in a corner.

It wasn't easy watching their friend who was normally so expressive, so limp and unresponsive and Quatre was taking it even harder since he'd got the news about his friend and assistant. Heero knew that what would happen, would happen and there really was nothing more he could do. But somehow he found himself wishing Duo would open his eyes and talk to them or something. Quatre, with his sensitivity, wouldn't be right till he did. 

By the end of day two they were all sick and tired of the heat and Hilde, Relena, and Heero were spelling the doctors. Deuce just hovered along with Quatre and Trowa who were not to be used unless they were needed.

Day three was a repeat of day two.

By the evening of day four, Sally came out wiping a sweat drenched forehead with a damp towel. Relena, who was expecting to spell her, got up from beside Heero. Hilde was out from sheer exhaustion on the lounge; she'd been the last one in before Sally.

Moving towards Sally, Relena paused when Sally held up her hand. She tensed in alarm till she saw the tired grin spreading across Sally's face.

"I think we did it." Sally told them as Heero also got up expectantly. Relena's face took on a look of tentative hope.

"He's sweated it out.... there's been no trace of it for the last 18 hours! We will have to watch him closely for the next couple of days for any unexpected side effects and relapses but the first step is done, he's fighting it and so far he's winning!!" Sally's grin broadened. The first and hardest obstacle had been overcome and while it was too early to throw a party, she was definitely feeling on the upside of things for the moment!!

Relena let out a whoop while Heero let a rare and heartfelt smile come over his face. Relena's whoop woke Hilde and when Relena gave her the news all the groggy Hilde could do was sit and stare at her until the news sunk in. Then she started to cry great silent tears of relief and enveloped Relena in a hug who hugged her back.

"I've got to go tell Quatre and the others!!" Relena exclaimed gleefully and spinning out of Hilde's loosening grip, she darted for the door.

Sally slowly sobered then as Heero watched her.

"You said any possible side effects and relapses. Do you expect any?" he asked her finally. Hilde looked up sharply at this, she'd missed this part of the conversation.

"I hope for the best and expect the worst. I don't like surprises!" Sally stated firmly. She made her way over to the lounge and sat down next to Hilde. 

"Let me cover the possibilities." she started.

Heero listened intently, but as Sally talked she noticed a faint smile that seemed to linger. Hilde's face was sober and determined but her eyes shone till her face seemed to glow. Sally herself was giddy, wether from exhaustion or a sense of satisfaction at a job well done she couldn't tell but she didn't really care at the moment. Then Quatre piled in with Wufei right behind him coming a bit more steadily but eager all the same and she started all over again.

  
  


It was Quatre who was with Duo a day and a half later when he finally came around. Quatre had been dozing in a chair by the bed again with his hand on Duo's when he felt movement. Straightening up, he peered intently at Duo's face watching for a sign, anything that would tell him his friend was finally awake.

Duo felt like he'd been wrung through a wringer washer. Slowly coming out of it, a distant impression of having crossed a desert in the back of his memory, he thought he felt a hand on his own. Gradually summoning the energy to open his eyes, he thought at first that the lights had been turned off. A slight frown wrinkled his forehead. Where was he? What had happened? Had it all been just a dream?

"Duo?!" Quatre's glad voice broke through his cottony thoughts. He turned his head and squinted his eyes in the direction of Quatre's voice.

"That you Quatre?" he croaked his voice surprisingly rusty and weak.

"It sure is Duo, am I ever glad to see you awake!!" Quatre's voice was positively euphoric.

"Just a minute, I _gotta_ go tell Sally!" 

There was a grating as Quatre's chair was pushed back and a light thud as he made to head for the door.

"Oi, Quatre...."

"Yes, Duo?"

"..._Sally?!"_ __

__Quatre laughed out loud and told him yes and he should be glad he didn't have to put up with Trucker instead; that Sally was a whole lot gentler and prettier too. He headed for the door again.

"Oi, Quatre, turn the lights up on your way through will ya? I can't see a thing." Duo called after his retreating friend. He was still confused about the where and how of things but if Quatre was here and everything was calm it couldn't be too bad. Now if he could only sort through the muddle of memories in the back of his brain and figure out what had happened.

He couldn't see Quatre freeze in mid step and look back with an expression of pain on his face. Even with modern technology, Sally hadn't been a hundred percent positive that his eyes would be ok. They'd had to wait till Duo was awake to test his eyes properly.

"Umm.... Duo, the lights _are_ on... " Quatre said tentatively.

Duo went absolutely still in the middle of pushing himself up against the head of the bed.

Quatre took a step back.

"What do you mean 'they _are_ on' Quatre? I can't see. Are you saying I'm _blind? I can't be blind Quatre, you must be wrong Quatre, **don't tease Quatre, I can't be blind!!"**_Duo was on the verge of hyper ventilating and clutched shakily at the blankets on his bed, fisting them so tight that Quatre was half afraid that he'd put holes in the sheets or something. He retraced his path to Duo's bed side.

"Duo, calm down, Sally thinks it's only temporary but you've been really ill and you have to keep calm." Quatre told him, making his voice soothing and commanding at the same time. It worked mostly. Duo managed to get his breathing under control and relaxed although to Quatre's critical eye it was an awful tense sort of relaxed.

"Just hold on a minute Duo." he told his friend. Moving to the door he stuck his head out and spied Hilde just coming in.

"Hey, Hilde, run and fetch Sally will you? He's awake!!!" Quatre's broad smile was echoed by Hilde's own as she spun and took off running and calling for Sally before she was out the door. Quatre pulled back, smile fading slightly as he went back to his friend.

Sure, things weren't right yet but Duo was alive and with a loving God up above, a little luck and some hard work maybe things would come right once again.

On impulse, Quatre threw his arms around a startled Duo in a glomph that in the end, did more to reassure Duo than all the words that could have been said.

They'd win yet!!!

  
  
  
  


****

  
  
  
  
  
  


**(1) **If this seems a bit overdone, sorry but my father was killed from a car wreck last Aug and this was me.

I saw a pic the other day, of some (unnamed on purpose) people of one nation who had been struck by a bus driver of a hostile nationality. The bodies were lying on the ground covered with blankets, coats, whatever was available. You could see blood draining away in streaks on the pavement under these bodies. And all I could think was, these people weren't part of the military. They were someone's father, brother, sister or mother.... I couldn't tell. The really tragic part is that it never ends. Someone gets killed, someone else kills someone else in revenge. Someone kills someone else in revenge for the revenge killing. After who knows how many cycles of that I'm wondering... where's the justice in that? I don't think they even know anymore. It's more like grown up children squabbling with lethal weapons and with deadly effect and wastefully too because they aren't going after the one's responsible, they're sharing their misery. 

Where is it going to end? I guess I can't stop things like that from occurring but I made a decision while I was watching my father die in front of me in the intensive care unit. That I wasn't going to let this happen in my life. 

I know who the man is who was responsible for my father's accident. He'd better have learned a lesson on driving after what happened but most of all, he'd better make sure his family is taken care of like my father can no longer do. 

  
  
  
  


****

  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. "I won't let you hurt my friends"

**"I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!"**

**CHAPTER 10**

  
  
  
  


****"....and so we're gonna start with this new treatment tomorrow and hope for the best. It's state of the art and has had a 67% success rate so far. It's our best chance. Any questions?" Sally finished up her informal report to the group of friends crowded inside Duo's infirmary room.

"Just one!" Hilde waved her hand at Sally. Sally cocked her head at her.

"How long till you get results? The sooner the better!!!" Hilde exclaimed eagerly as she recalled the last few days. 

They'd all be glad if/when Duo had completely recovered. It was very hard on him, not being able to see. His personal rule of thumb "I run, I hide, but I never lie" was a part of his life. It was his way of living ingrained in him since his days on the streets. Not being able to see put a huge crimp in his ability to do what he was so good at which made him irritable and restless even though he tried to not to show it. That... and the fact that he still tired fast and didn't seem to have any stamina. He always did hate it when it seemed as if he was 'falling behind' the standards of the others or his own.

Rip moved slowly past the infirmary. They were there again, visiting that long haired nut Duo and talking to that doctor. Ever since Duo had collapsed, there had been people through here constantly. A fact which had made it all too easy for Rip to keep track of all five of the pilots. It hadn't hurt either that Rip had nearly tripped over that Preventer who looked so similar to him in build and facial structure, had no family and lived alone. It had only taken a little dye, change in hair style, restructuring of the face and he could fool the best of them. The man never went anywhere or did anything; his work was his life.

Too bad that Preventer had struggled so hard, the man hadn't much going for him but he sure had been stubborn. He had almost gotten away and that would have ruined all of Rip's plans. But with that little incident taken care of, Rip had officially assumed the life of Casey Santino. He had spent the last several days discreetly observing the pilots from a distance.

He'd actually run into the Winner kid once, he considered himself lucky that time. Quatre had looked at him like he could see right through Rip's disguise and if it hadn't been for one of the kitchen help coming up to ask Quatre about something to do with tea and distracting him, Rip had a feeling his cover would have been blown and he'd of had to make his move ahead of schedule.

That Winner kid was downright uncanny sometimes. After that little episode, he'd stayed as far away from him as possible willing to take even Heero over Quatre. He'd counted himself as having steady nerves but something about Quatre rattled him.

He was just past the door when it swung open and Trowa stepped out.

"Oi!You... take this to Sally would you?" Trowa thrust a list at him. Having no choice but to take it, Rip took it from his hand calmly meeting Trowa's gaze and set off once more. Inwardly, Rip grinned to himself. Trowa hadn't reacted at all. Still, it wouldn't do to underestimate these pilots, kids or not. He never made the same mistake twice. 

He'd come to grudgingly respect these kids, even Duo. For Duo to survive that drug spoke of more than Rip had seen. He already knew there was something special about Quatre and he had no desire to tangle with Wufei. Heero, he wanted a rematch against, Duo was dead meat for all the aggravation he'd caused Rip. Trowa was a wild card. Rip hadn't made it this long in his business by being careless and he could wait to find out what was behind that face of Trowa's. 

Deep down inside, if he was honest with himself, these pilots fascinated them. What drove them to go to the lengths they had to do what they had done? What was in it for them? Nobody was stupid enough to risk their all for the sake of another. People always looked out for number one. So what _was_ their motive?

_Enough with the heavy thoughts!_ Rip told himself irritably. It didn't do to dwell on things too long. Made a man unsettled with himself. He had to get out of here. He had managed to switch a sample of PC11 the night before with no one the wiser; it was time to finish his job and get on with his life. 

Handing the list off to the first person available, Rip headed for his quarters to get ready for tonight.

Trowa closed the door to the infirmary with a faint frown on his face. The Preventer who had just taken Duo's list looked familiar. The tag said Casey Santino and Trowa thought he'd seen him around before, sort of a man behind the scenes. Efficient but uninspired. Turning back to the others, he absently asked Heero if he'd gotten anywhere.

"Nope. He's disappeared and that's _not _good." Heero said flatly. 

"He's not the kind to just give up." Trowa observed.

"You're right." Duo said uneasily, sitting cross-legged on his bed. He hated not being able to see with a passion; it made him feel helpless which was one thing he couldn't stand.

"So we shouldn't assume he's gone. But right now we're reduced to taking the defense cuz we don't know where he'll strike from." Quatre said thoughtfully.

"But we _do _know that he's after Heero and Duo. After all, he could have taken you two and didn't." Wufei pointed out.

"True but we weren't directly in his way. This is different."Quatre responded. 

"But still, that's a valid point Wufei. So from now on we need to keep someone with those two at all times." Quatre finished up. Heero scowled.

"Wait a minute....!" Duo protested.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Heero said flatly.

"Yes, we all _know_ that Heero but we want to stop this guy cold. It'd be more _efficient_ if we're paired up." Quatre told him calmly and persuasively.

"So Trowa, why don't you stick with Heero and Wufei and I will stay with Duo." Quatre finished up with the subtle insinuation in his manner that what he said _would_ be done.

Duo mumbled something under his breath. Quatre had gained strength and confidence since the war.... Duo guessed it was a good thing but it could be _aggravating _when Quatre was right!

"I heard that Duo." Quatre said without turning his attention from Heero. Duo simply rolled his eyes, reached up with his hands behind his head and leaned back against the headboard moodily. He didn't feel like starting an outright argument with Quatre which he was bound to lose anyway. Propped against the bed he let his attention drift as the others continued discussing arrangements and consoled himself that Heero hadn't done any better against Quatre as was evidenced by Heero's not-quite-convinced scowl that Duo couldn't see but had picked up nevertheless from his voice.

  
  


Hilde was on edge and she didn't know why. The boys were taking all sensible precautions against Rip but she couldn't help the feeling that something was going on right under all of their noses. As a result, Hilde was in and out of Duo's room and through the halls, never able to really settle on a spot. Her quarters were out of the question; she had tried that and it hadn't taken her five minutes before she thought she'd go stir crazy. 

Quatre had finally asked her if she would go and get them all some tea. She usually wouldn't drink tea but Duo had hastily sided with Quatre and she had let herself be persuaded knowing all the while it was just to get her out of the room for a bit. Her fidgeting was contagious and was making Duo restless while Quatre was exhausting his stores of gentlemanly manners.

  
  
  
  


Back in his quarters, Heero was also feeling a sense of expectancy settling down on him. His senses were telling him to be ready for anything and he'd long learned to pay attention to such things. Trowa seemed unaffected, cool and silent. For want of something to do and because it would be foolish to go against Rip unprepared; Heero started going over his weapons. Trowa soon followed suit. Breaking his gun down, Heero observed with a vague sense of disfavor that it was getting worn from usage.

"You should get a new one. That one is going to give you trouble sooner or later." Trowa observed.

Heero didn't respond but as he put it back together, he knew Trowa was right.

"They have a new handgun out, a Perrier L9, it's really nice." Trowa observed with apparent indifference as he cleaned and oiled his own pistol.

Heero still didn't react as he started checking his ammunition. Trowa set about reassembling his pistol. Once it was together, he jacked an imaginary round to check it only to have it jam on him. A twitch started at the corner of Heero's mouth. Trowa looked at him sourly as he tried to unjam it. It wouldn't budge.

"This isn't funny. I _liked_ this one." he informed Heero. Heero's eyes glinted amusement at him. Trowa got to his feet in disgust, giving up on the pistol.

"I'm going to take a look at their new handgun." Trowa informed Heero. Heero stood up tucking his handgun behind him.

"I'll go with you. I want to look at their ammo. I understand they got some specialty cartridges for my Lear." he said, amusement still twinkling vaguely in his eyes.

"Humph." was all Trowa gave out.

Reaching the ammunition warehouse, Trowa slid his ID card through the readout. It didn't take the first swipe, only releasing on the second try. Trowa frowned as he reached for the door handle. Giving it an even pull , he paused as he felt unexpected resistance. Heero leaned forward to take a look through the thin opening of the door. Slowly he straightened up.

"There is a wire stretched across the door. Any further movement on your part is going to trigger whatever is back there Trowa." he told him as his eyes met Trowa's. 

Trowa nodded thoughtfully.

"In that case..." he said, let go of the door and flung himself in the opposite direction with Heero matching him. Trowa never knew just how far they made it. He only knew that there was a heart stopping delay before the explosion blew the door off it's hinges and flung them forward with an immense wave of heat at their backs. That was, perhaps, the only saving grace; the fact that the door was heavy reinforced alloy and hadn't disintegrated with the rest of the room as the Preventers store of weapons and ammo went up in smoke. 

Trowa lay there for several stunned moments before he became aware of a very heavy weight on top of him, the sound of constant explosions and the wail of sirens that rang in the distance through the ringing of his ears. Then he became aware of the fact that he was partially pinned under an unmoving Heero and the door with chunks of rubble all around. Groggily he started trying to take stock of his body as best he could while being pinned. That done with apparently nothing serious, he started trying to rouse Heero with little success. Taking a break, panting for air as he couldn't get a full breath of air with all the weight pinning him down, he realized that this could take a while. And he didn't know how much time he had, Heero wasn't responding. Trowa knew Heero wasn't dead but beyond that he could tell little. Quatre was going to be upset with them. Not to mention a few other people Trowa thought glumly. What other options did he have? Maybe if he could move that block....

  
  
  
  


Hilde had just sat the tea down in front of Quatre and Wufei when there was the unmistakable rumble of muffled explosions. Wufei, Quatre, and Duo all sat up straight.

"That was the supply room." Wufei said flatly. Quatre looked at him sharply. Duo just tilted his head in the direction of Wufei's voice.

"Than it's begun." Quatre said simply. They sat and listened to the rumble and the sirens for a bit; Quatre fidgeting a bit with the desire to know what was going on. Wufei sat still as a rock but there was a tenseness to his posture that spoke of a similar desire. Hilde, glancing at Duo nearly giggled in spite of the tension. He had stretched out on his bed, with one ankle propped over the other leg, hands behind his head; a picture of deceptive relaxation. The only way to tell that the tension was affecting him was the fact that he kept his useless eyes shut and his head turned to catch any sound. Then the com went off.

"Wufei, Quatre, just so you know, that was the munitions store. We think this Rip fellow somehow infiltrated HQ and rigged it to blow at the first person to come along. Unfortunately, we think that the first person to come along was Trowa and Heero; they're missing. Trowa was listed as the last person to have accessed that room. We really don't know anything for sure though; there's so much rubble. We haven't found any dead bodies yet so we're hoping for the best." Zechs informed them. 

Hilde let out a long breath while Wufei spat something in his native tongue. Quatre's face went grim while Duo paled a bit staring blankly towards the ceiling.

"I'm coming to help!" Wufei growled and stood up. Quatre stood up with him, both of them looking at the com. Zechs looked at them piercingly.

"With that shoulder of yours?" he asked skeptically.

"The only reason it's still in a sling is because Sally threatened to pull rank and put me on suspension till the moon turned blue!" Wufei growled angrily. That wasn't the only thing she'd threatened him with but he was _not_ going to repeat the rest of it. He pulled the sling off and threw it down, then moved his arm in a few rather ginger kata movements to limber it up a bit.

Zechs nodded and said,"We could use the help then." 

Zechs signed off and Quatre looked at Wufei. Wufei met his gaze evenly.

"Keep an eye out for him." he told Quatre simply and vanished out the door.

"Good thing we switched rooms." Hilde remarked. Quatre sighed, nodded, pulling a chair around so he could keep an eye on the door. He pulled out a pistol of his own and checked it over one last time. He looked up at the sound of another gun cocking only to see Hilde jacking a round into the chamber of an old fashioned .357 Ruger Blackhawk revolver. From the intense look on her face, she meant business. Looking up at Quatre she smiled coolly and said, "I'm only doing what Duo would do for me. He's my friend."

Quatre smiled approvingly and nodded at the tea set.

"It might be well if that was out of the way." he suggested. Hilde looked at him suspiciously but soon gave it up in the face of Quatre's absent minded concentration on the sounds in the distance. Tucking her gun behind her, she picked up the tea set and left. 

Duo stared at the ceiling blankly. Heero and Trowa were ok, they had to be. If Wing self destructing couldn't kill Heero, a measly lot of exploding ammo wouldn't. The feeling of being trapped started to well up in him full force. He **_hated_**__ being helpless, not being able to see! 

Hilde had just stepped out the door when she saw the back and leg of a man disappearing into the room that Duo had been occupying not 12 hours previously. Smiling grimly she knew they had their man. Softly putting the tea service down, she pulled her gun and quietly approached the door. Flattening herself against the side of the door, she waited. Not hearing anything, she gave herself some room, leaned back and kicked the door open throwing herself through in a tumbling roll. She came up on one knee, gun lined on the stranger, to find the man smiling cooly at her with his own pistol aimed at her. It was a Mexican Standoff. 

"I find this interesting. I come looking for a friend of mine only the room is empty and what do I get instead? A girl who's _not_ a Preventer but is allowed to carry a gun inside HQ.... could you be a friend of Duo Maxwell's?" He smiled at her. A shiver went down Hilde's back in spite of herself.

"The only thing that needs to concern you is that I can sit here all day but you can't afford to. Someone will come along sooner or later.... why don't you just quit while you're ahead?" Hilde asked calmly keeping a steady aim on the man.

Rip didn't reply, just looked at her. Then he casually let the gun slide down his index finger till it dangled from his hand. 

Hilde almost couldn't believe his move. _What_ was the man playing at?

"Drop the gun and put you're hands behind you're head... **_now_**_!_" Hilde demanded sharply as she stood up smoothly.

"_QUATRE!_" she called loudly not letting up on her vigil for a moment. Quatre came cautiously around the door, gun in hand and already there.

"I heard the door bang." he offered to the split second glance she shot him in spite of herself. Reassured now that Quatre was here to back her up she moved closer to the man.

"Turn around and place your hands on the wall behind you." she instructed forcefully. 

He didn't move just looked at her.

"_Do it... !" _she hissed at him. She _really_ didn't like him.

"You're cute when your mad" Rip said with a quirk of his lip. He turned around crossing his wrists behind him. Shrugging, Hilde moved up pulling out a set of handcuffs she'd appropriated. She reached out to grab his wrist but the minute she touched him she knew she'd made a serious mistake as the jolt rendered her helpless in just the few seconds of contact. Her one thought before she was rendered helpless was '_where the heck did **this** guy get a **flag**?' _

Quatre knew what had happened almost the moment it happened but it still surprised him. Flags were _not_ common. He'd seen them before, bracelets worn around the wrist. You activated them by loosely clenching your fist and they would deliver a jolt that could bring down a giant when the circuit was completed by contact with anything else that could transmit electricity... like a human body. The only drawback was that there was really no good way to insulate the zapper from the zappee hence their unpopularity. Very few people managed to master them, if you were really good you could control the amount of jolt to some small extent; that is wether you wanted a short shock or sustained jolt. At any rate, when he saw Hilde start to sag it was already too late as Rip shrugged off the shock and had Hilde around the throat with a knife that seemingly came out of nowhere. He grinned at Quatre coldly.

"Well, Winner, what will it be?" he asked. Quatre glared at him in cold fury as he let his gun drop. Inside he was raging.

"Where's Maxwell?" Rip asked him. Quatre clamped his jaw shut.

"Him or the girl and do we have to do this annoying cliche thing? I do _not _like grade B movies!" Rip asked in very real irritation.

Duo didn't turn from where he was looking out his fifth floor window as the door banged open. He wasn't really surprised to hear Quatre's voice then as Rip grunted in satisfaction.

"I'm sorry Duo, he's got a Flag and Hilde." Quatre's voice came angrily. 

"It's not your fault Quatre, he's just that good." Duo said calmly turning in the direction of Quatre's voice.

Rip looked at Duo's face and narrowed his gaze.

"What's wrong with his eyes?" he snapped at Quatre while still holding Hilde. He'd put her in a very painful armlock but it hadn't been till he actually dislocated her shoulder with threats of worse to come that Quatre had capitulated.

"Cataracts. From the poison." Quatre replied in a clipped and angry tone. Rip scowled disgruntled.

"That's no fun." Rip glared at Duo who scowled in return."You're no challenge like this." 

"Excuse me for failing to entertain you!" Duo snapped with biting sarcasm in return. "I don't recall inviting you to take us on for your own obscure and twisted reasons!" 

"Oh shut up and die.... _aaaaahhhh_!" Rip let out a startled yell as Hilde suddenly twisted, desperately forcing herself to think past the pain of her shoulder and arm and sunk her teeth into his gun hand while twisting her leg through his at the same time in an attempt to trip him. 

Rip let out an outraged yell and viciously thrust her away from him causing her to hit the wall with a thud where she crumpled and didn't move, only clutched her arm to her.

"Hilde!" this from Quatre. 

Duo's eyes went wide and his mouth twisted into a silent snarl but not quite able to decide what would be best, he hesitated. Not being able to see enough to fight and knowing that if he got involved he'd just be a liability he held his position; even though every muscle in his body was screaming '_do something'. _His fists clenched in sheer frustration.

Rip recovered his balance just in time to meet Quatre's foot to his face in a classic arcing circle kick. Quatre, having given up his gun to Rip, was going to have to do things the old fashioned way. 

Duo finally dived to the floor as Quatre twisted in midair to kick Rip's gun out of his hand with his _other_ foot. The gun exploded with a bang as it went flying off towards Duo.

Hearing it clatter, Duo focused on where he'd heard it land and scrambled for it. Latching onto it, he scrambled up and dived towards the window, jerked it open and threw the gun putting everything he had into the toss. He heard Rip let out another angry yell as he did so.

Focusing his attention back on Quatre, Rip was just in time to block a short, vicious punch from Quatre and lashed out with a snap kick of his own that Quatre blocked in return. Rip found his estimation of Quatre going up a notch even as he was being pressed back. Quatre _did_ know how to fight, the only thing lacking was the fact that Quatre had been taught in a classroom environment while Rip had learned and learned well from the streets and anyone who would teach him how to win using everything at his disposal... in other words fighting dirty. When your life was in the balance, fighting fair didn't seem so important somehow.

So Rip fought keeping Quatre at bay with some difficulty until he saw his chance. He'd have to do something soon at any rate, he was running out of time. So as Quatre knocked his straight right hook aside and retaliated with an open hand palm strike, Rip saw his chance and took it crossing his wrists in an X block. 

Quatre tried to pull his punch but was too late and this time Rip's Flags gave them a double jolt that sent them both reeling. Rip recovered first and hammered a two fisted blow into Quatre's midsection. Quatre, badly jolted by the flags, staggered refusing to go down but in the end he couldn't quite stop himself from folding to the floor both arms around his middle. 

With Quatre temporarily down, Rip lunged for Duo . He came to an abrupt stop though as Duo who was kneeling on the floor, pulled a pistol of his own from under his shirt and steadied it at Rip. Rip looked at him warily.

"I thought you couldn't see." he said in a deceptively calm voice.

"No one said that." Duo replied squinting at the blur in front of him.

"B-but... I mean... where did you get... can you... " Quatre stuttered to a halt still on the floor and just catching his breath. He'd managed to brace himself like his teacher had shown him just as Rip swung and it hadn't effected him as much as it had been intended to.

"I think you're bluffing." Rip said flatly and tensed as though he were about to lunge.

"I might be..... or I might not be. You're welcome to try." Duo said with an equally deceptive calm.

"I think I will." Rip sneered and started to move.

"I think you _won't_. I won't let you hurt my friends!" Quatre said from directly behind him. Rip started to jerk around but was too late as Quatre quite deliberately gripped Rip's arms directly over the Flags releasing yet another jolt.

"_Quatre!_" Duo cried out in alarm squinting futilely as he heard Quatre give a strangled cry. He couldn't see Quatre's eyes blazing icy frost nor the fierce determination as Quatre took the jolt and hung on, electricity crackling through him until even Rip couldn't take it any more and his knees finally buckled as he fell, taking Quatre with him. 

"**_Quatre!! Talk to me!!_**__" Duo said frantically groping his way blindly towards the sounds of ragged breathing from the center of the room. Then Hilde's voice was right next to him.

"It's ok Duo, they're not dead." she reassured him in a pain filled voice.

"_Hilde!_ Are you ok?" he turned towards her almost frantically.

"I will be. Don't worry so much. And don't touch, I have a dislocated shoulder." she warned him. 

"The idiot." came from the doorway as Wufei took the scene in with Trowa's arm draped over his shoulder. Exactly whom he was referring to was unclear.

"Wufei! Good to see you, nice to know Trowa's in one piece, watch that man he's using a Flag and would _someone get a doctor? My **arm is killing me!!**_" Hilde said swiftly in one breath seeing Sally, Zechs and a number of Preventer's crowded around behind the people in the doorway. 

Then people were everywhere. Rip and Quatre were pulled apart and soon Rip was disarmed and in restraints. Quatre who was still pretty much out of it, was laid on Duo's bed where one of the other Preventer doctors proceeded to check his vital signs and take steps to deal with the shock he had received and Trowa was installed in Quatre's old chair where Sally gave him a quick once over to reassure herself that no life threatening injuries had been overlooked. That done she quickly moved on to Hilde.

Wufei had arrived to see Preventers, plus Relena, scrambling over piles of smoking rubble. Trowa and Heero hadn't been found yet as they had just now managed to clear enough of the wreckage to even get _to_ the immediate area of the blast. Reasoning that being pilots, they might have noticed something wrong; the most reasonable assumption was that they would have been in line with what used to be the doorway in an attempt to get clear of the trap. Closing his eyes, Wufei concentrated on listening and made a complete 180 degree turn sorting out his sensory input. He frowned, thinking he had heard something. 

Opening his eyes, he started forward still in line with the door, scanning rubble all the way. Preventers had already taken a look see over this section of wreckage but as he moved he thought he heard a second thump. Wufei narrowed his eyes, a section of rubble was moving ever so slightly. Realizing that he was looking at part of a door warped awkwardly amongst some chunks of wall, he made his way over carefully and leaned over the mini cliff of rubble.

He was looking at the dirty and bloodstained face of Trowa who appeared to be bracing himself against the door.

"_Would... you... mind... getting... **off... me?**_" Trowa appealed apparently catching his breath with some difficulty. 

Wufei grinned a rare grin at Trowa in relief at finding the two, for he could see part of a motionless hand that was obviously not Trowa's through the chunks of wall and on some foreign impulse told Trowa to quit fooling around and get out of there. He may have been the only living being in existence to hear Trowa cuss in three different languages. Who knew the calm and controlled Trowa they all knew could lose his temper like that? 

When the boys had been freed of the rubble, it had been determined that Heero had taken the brunt of the blast _and_ the door apparently while trying to shield Trowa which ticked Trowa off to no end. But with the weight of the door and shifting rubble, they could easily have crushed and/or suffocated had it not been for Trowa's efforts and stubbornness at keeping the door propped up. It was found that he'd somehow managed to maneuver a piece of the wall in place to help hold the door in spite of his very restricted range of movement which was the only thing that had allowed him to last till they had been found. 

Unconscious, bruised, burnt and with a suspected concussion, Heero was carted off to the infirmary; Relena following after getting reassurance that Trowa would be ok. Trowa ended up with his arm in a sling and a brace on his left leg which had been broken in the explosion along with various other comparatively minor bumps and bruises.

Concerned about Heero, Trowa got immense satisfaction out of Rip's expression when he came around to find that not only had Quatre proved to be tough enough to get the job done but that he'd also failed to actually kill any of the boys. He had been so furious that it had taken two Preventers to hold him back even with his restraints. As he was taken away, Trowa had the feeling that this wasn't the end of it. But turning to look at a recovering but shaky Quatre getting a scolding from Wufei _and_ Lady Une, Duo hovering over an exhausted Hilde who also had her arm in a sling, and figuring that Heero was strong enough to pull through ok, Trowa was glad in his heart that they had worked together to accomplish what they wouldn't have been able to do alone and had successfully managed through yet another crises. 

Quatre somehow seemed to know what was on Trowa's mind as he spared Trowa a glance and a shaky but knowing smile through the lectures being heaped on him from Lady Une as Wufei had said what he had to say and had given way to Lady Une. 

A sudden thought occurring to Quatre, he turned quickly in Duo's direction and blurted out, "Duo!About your eyesight... were you bluffing?"

"Maybe." Duo grinned in his direction.

"_Duo!_ I think I deserve a straight answer. Can you or can you _not_ see?" Quatre puffed in exasperation.

"Well, I knew you weren't the _dark _blur... " Duo shrugged and grinned crookedly. 

"_Duo!!" _Quatre protested, horror in his voice. Duo laughed a bit and held up his hands sheepishly as Sally came up to them, a scowl on her face and told him to stop teasing Quatre. Then she turned to Quatre scowl turning into a smile on her face and told them to listen up.

"Duo's eyesight is indeed coming back. It is _not_ good enough for target practice so keep all firearms away from him for the time being." Sally threw in a bit of teasing of her own. "It's uncertain if he will recover 100 % on his own but we are going to wait and see how far the err.. cataracts (if you can call them that, I've never seen cataracts act the way _these_ are!) regress before we actually treat him. That's the good news. The bad news is that Heero is still unconscious, and until he wakes up we can't consider him out of danger. But this _is_ Heero we're talking about so I'd say the odds are in his favor." she smiled at them all; a tired smile but the cheer in the room, though shadowed by the missing pilot, was undeniable.

"By the way, has anyone seen Deuce lately?" Duo asked suddenly, the thought coming out of nowhere. 

"Deuce? Why no..." Zechs looked around reflexively.

"Come to think of it he's been missing for a while now." Lady Une said in surprise then scowled. How could she have been so careless? 

It was two days later when three things happened that would mark that day as another to be remembered.

Heero woke up to find Relena on one side of his bed and Duo on the other. Reassured that Duo was still around he fell asleep awaking the second time to find Quatre on his left and Sally inches above his face with a smile going from ear to ear looking understandably smug with her self and pleased with life in general. He soon understood how Duo had felt about Sally and her exams but he had to admit that she was an excellent doctor in spite of his personal opinions about what was necessary and what wasn't as she poked and prodded till she was happy that he would be ok with nothing more than some injured muscles, some burns and a bad headache with double vision all of which could be treated and cured and was proclaimed to be on the mend.

Later, when all the other pilots dropped by for a visit with Quatre pushing Trowa in a wheelchair as he couldn't handle a pair of crutches with torn muscles in his arm, Hilde guiding Duo without making it too obvious, and Wufei who only stayed a short while, they caught Heero up on what he'd missed. Wufei, who finished up the informal report, informed them all that Rip had somehow managed to disappear that very morning, and that they'd found the body of the unfortunate Preventer who had given Rip such access to their headquarters. 

In the midst of the general discussion, Duo leaned back in his chair feeling better than he had for a long time now. His eyesight still wasn't great so he was relaxing and just listening for a change which was maybe why he was the only one to catch the muted newscast announcement that made him sit up and ask for quiet. Afterwards, he leaned back idly as the others absorbed the information. 

"Well, I guess now we know what happened to Deuce." Duo said an odd mix of sadness and a muted relief bubbling way down deep.

"Somehow, I can't help but think Piper brought it on himself. If Piper hadn't been messing with toxins and poisons this would never have happened." Hilde said dryly.

"Hmm... some of you must have rubbed off on Deuce for him to have sneaked into a high security facility like that and get to Piper." Quatre said teasingly but with a touch of grim humor to Duo, a touch of sadness in him as well. So many lives lost. Would the war never end? Would people never let it rest?

"Of course, they did say it couldn't be proven, only suspected that he was poisoned." Trowa pointed out.

"Truth." Wufei said nodding his head sharply. "At any rate justice has been served. Now if we could only catch up with this Rip."

Duo leaned back lost in his thoughts, thinking back to how this whole thing had started. He'd never thought to hear from the ghost of Solo again. The past had a way of catching up with you. Or had he caught it? Some of it had been fun... like at the shuttle port with Deuce... who knew? Maybe he'd see him again someday. 

A sharp poke in the side interrupted his thoughts and he turned and squinted at a curious Heero.

"What's got you so down?" Heero asked bluntly. 

Duo smiled at him brilliantly, "I"m not. Just thinking and no smart remarks from the peanut gallery!" __

_And... thanks Heero, for keeping a promise_ he finished silently as he looked directly at Heero. Heero somehow seemed to read his eyes for a faint smile hovered around his eyes it seemed as if he almost nodded. Duo gave a genuine 100 watt smile at Heero and then reaching over he tugged at Hilde's hand.

"I guess there's a God after all... because I'd say this qualifies as a miracle!" and Duo leaned back and looked around, knowing that Someone Up There had seen to it that he had friends to stand by him and for him to stand by. He was going to do the best he could to make sure that didn't change. 

Owari

  
  
  
  


Ok so I didn't exactly proofread this! But I finally got it done!! Yay! This is the first time I've ever managed to actually finish a project like this and make it decent!!! And I left it wide open for a sequel my oh my!! If I ever have time... I don't think it's right that you seem to get busier the older you get...sniff sniff Oh well... hope ya'll enjoy! 


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